Gaitskell Accused Of Dividing Party

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29336, 15 October 1960, Page 4

Gaitskell Accused Of Dividing Party

<|»X. Press Association Copprlpkt) LONDON, October 13. Mr Anthony Greenwood, aged 49, a prominent member of the Labour “shadow cabinet” in Parliament, resigned from it tonight, accusing the party leader (Mr Hugh Gaitskell) of having divided the Socialist movement.

• His dramatic move, heightening the party’s current leadership crisis, stemmed from Mr Gaitskeß’s action in defying the decision of its recent Scarborough conference to renounce nuclear

Mr Greenwood, in a letter to Mr Gaitskell tendering his resignation, said the leader, by describing those who took a differto himself as "pacifists.

unUateraMsts, and feUow-ttwyei-lers,” had shown an attitude which be believed quite incompatible with the democratic structure, oonstStotioc and spirit of the Labour movement In his letter Mr Greenwood Who is also a member of the Labour Party’s -national executive committee, said he was not resigning because of his views on defence.

It was “because I do not believe that under your leadership it is any longer possible, in spite of your great qualities, to safeguard

that unity which the party so deaq>erately needs and upon which the return of a Labour Government dbeoends." * “I have been distressed at the way you have divided the party so completely in the past year. “Your attempt to scrap clause tour (the Labour party’s longstanding policy on State-owner-ship) was the beginning of a year of damaging strife in the movement, and I believe it was the mistrust created then which subsequently exacerbated our defence crisis,” Mr Greenwood said. Some politicians tonight saw the new Labour clash as gravely complicating Mr Gaitskell’s position, and increasing the danger of the Socialist movement breaking into two rival bodies.

He now faces hostile minorities both in the Parliamentary party —believed to include about 50 members who would not support his defiance of the conference—and in the national executive committee.

The new clash may quicken moves to put forward one or more rivals to Mr Gaitskell when Labour M.P.'s next month meet to re-elect the party leader. Mr Greenwood, and Mr Harold Wilson, the former Board-of Trade President, have already been freely discussed as “possibles” if a change were made.

With the majority of Labour M.P.’s to be believed loyal to Mr Gaitskell, the effort to oust him would probably fail, but it would deepen the split in the movement as a whole.

Mr Greenwood, Labour’s Parliamentary spokesman on education and other topics, is the son of the late Arthur Greenwood, a former Cabinet Minister and Socialist pioneer who almost achieved his party’s leadership between the two world wars. He has been a Labour Party member for 34 years, and during this period has occupied many official offices including the deputy chairmanship.