SUCCESSOR TO LLOYD

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29265, 25 July 1960, Page 15

SUCCESSOR TO LLOYD

Choice Of Peer Opposed (N.Z. Press Association-—Copyright) LONDON, July 23. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Gaitskell) today warned that the Opposition would “react most strongly” if Britain’s next Foreign Secretary was appointed from the House of Lords. Addressing a regional Labour Party conference at Bristol, Mr Gaitskell said he was “most disturbed by an extraordinary rumour” to this effect.

“Nowadays,” he said, “when foreign affairs are so tremendously important to all of us, the Foreign Secretary ought without question to be drawn from a person answerable to the House of Commons which, unlike the House of Lords, is elected by the votes of the British people.

“To appoint a member of the House of Lords to this vital post would be most undemocratic and entirely inappropriate in modern conditions.” he said. The Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) will announce a reshuffle of his Cabinet within the next few days, due to the decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Heathcoat Amory) to resign The present Foreign Secretary (Mr Lloyd) is strongly expected to succeed Mr Amory as Chancellor, thus leaving a vacancy at the Foreign Office. The rumour referred to by Mr Gaitskell, which has gained wide currency in some national newspapers, was that the Earl of Home, the 57-year-old Commonwealth Reletions Secretary, might succeed Mr Lloyd. According to the “Star,” there is growing resentment among some Conservative members of Parliament over rumoured changes in the Cabinet.

The resignation of the Minister of Health. Mr Derek WalkerSmith. was seen as another sign of exasperation over Mr Macmillan's ideas of promotion, said the newspaper.

Mr Walker-Smith, who is 50. will resign his job on Monday, his wife said on Friday. Mrs Walker-Smith said her husband—who is expected to return to his career as a barrister —had been thinking of resigning for at least a year. The news caused a stir in political circles because Mr WalkerSmith has been regarded by Conservatives as doing an extremely efficient job. Some politicians were asking whether anv differences on policy had arisen between Mr Walker-Smith and his Minister'll colleagues. Mr Walker-Smith, who has been Health Minister for three years, is expected to remain a member of Parliament. Mrs Walker-Smith was asked today if her husband was resentful or felt he had been overlooked in the forthcoming Cabinet changes. She replied: “Not at all.” Asked whether he would have stayed on if there was a likelihood of being offered a different Ministerial post, she said: “Well, it would have been nice for him to take on the Exchequer or Foreign Office. He has a keen ■nr-nest in both.” The “Star” said Mr WalkerSmith had seen junior men jumping ahead of him to higher posts. Several other Ministers had also written to Mr Macmillan offering to surrender their jobs whenever it suited him, the “Star” said.

There was growing resentment, said the newspaper, among a section of Conservative members about what they regarded as the Prime Minister's partiality for making “ornamental appointments”—particularly in the House of Lords.

“This anger was heightened by reports that the Commonwealth

Relations Minister, the Earl of Home, was destined to become Foreign Secretary in succession to Mr Selwyn Lloyd, who is going to the Treasury,” it said. “Such an appointment would lead to a major Parliamentary storm and the Tory whins have now reported to 10 Downing Street that this would blow up not only from the Opposition side.”

The "Star” suggested Mr Macmillan might have to take into account uneasiness among his backbenchers and make one or two surprising junior appointments to placate the disgruntled ones.