WHIPS OUT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 125, 11 March 1950, Page 5

WHIPS OUT

COMMONS VOTE FIRST ROUND OF •/ FIGHT . 'V (N.Z.P.A.— Copyright) LONDON, March 10. In the heaviest House of Commons vote of the century Britain s eight-day-old Labour Government won its first Parliamentary battle by 14 votes against the Conservatives last night This averted the threat of an immediate General Election. Labour mustered its majority on the issue of confidence after ruthless efforts by the party .Whips to line up every available man for tfie test, -fiLabour member, Mr T. F. Hubbard, who is a diabetic, was -di'iven from hospital to vote and a Conservative, Lord John Hope, left his sick bed with a' temperature after a three-line Whip order, "Vote, even if you need an ambulance.” , - The Whips demanded attendance by every man, even those with doctors certificates, unless it put their lives in danger. Tfie final vote in Labour s favour was 310 to 296, although all nine Liberals voted with the Conservatives. . ; The issue w.as whether or not steel nationalisation .already on the Statute Book, should be put into effect before another General Election was held. Labour’s victory is only the first round in the fight. Mr Churchill will follow up his initial onslaught with two more on March 13 and 14, one on housing and another on Government expenditure.

Significance of Victory

Labour members said afterwards that the great significance of the Government’s “steel victory” was it showed that the Conservatives could be held on all crucial issues. They are confident that the 14 majority win scored by Labour over the combined Conservatives and Liberals can be repeated, with good party organisation, to meet each future crisis. ■■■ •_ If defeated the eight-day-old Government would have resigned. Labour jubilation about victory in the first round of the battle was slightly - dampened, however, by the news that their overall majority was down to six, because the Conservative Party won the last undecided seat in the General Election at Moss Side. Labour ' knows that it faces further tests of its slender majority next week. * The “Daily Express” says: “All the party whips gave an indication last night how ruthless they will be in • divisions. • Every exit from the House was watched. The Whips turned away any of their members trying to get out. No one was allowed to attend evening engagements or dinners. Packed into the House by the party whips, a mobilisation of voting strength which was almost complete came with members squatting all round Mr Speaker’s dais and jammed elbow to elbow below the Bar at the opposite end of the Chamber. The Government front bench was so crowded that Ministers were practically sitting in each other’s laps. Mr Churchill arrived during the debate wearing evening dress. Many members were still wearing morning dress from the ceremonies corinected with the French President’s visit.

another motion (Rec. 10.-0 a.m.) LONDON, March 10. In the House of Commons this afternoon, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Churchill, and other Conservatives tabled a motion “deploring the failure of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to enforce his own instructions to departments not to overspend so extensively their estimates for the current year. The motion will be debated next Tuesday. . ... It is understood tlie Government will treat the motion as one of “no confidence” which, if carried, would involve its resignation.