Govt’s Future Seen As Doubtful

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30156, 13 June 1963, Page 13

Govt’s Future Seen As Doubtful

(A.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, June 12. The Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) and his Cabinet will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the Profumo scandal, which has rocked the British Government to its foundations. Newspaper political commentators saw today’s meeting as critical, with the future of the Prime Minister and the Government at stake.

Die “Daily Telegraph” said Mr Macmillan was facing “the first round of what may prove to be a long and grim battle to prevent the Profumo affair from bringing him and his Government down.” The “Daily Telegraph” said editorially that at the moment the Conservative Party was a “shambles.” The reputation of the party for rectitude and efficiency has become a target for charges of shadiness and ineptitude,” it said. The “Daily Mail” called for a select committee of Parliament to conduct an investigation into the affair. “The rot must be stopped before it goes any further, before it corrodes the foundations of the Government and brings Mr Macmillan down,” it said in an editorial. The former War Minister. Mr John Profumo, resigned on June 5 after admitting he had lied to the House of Commons over his relationship with a 21-year-old model. Miss Christine Keeler. Ministers Cut Tours Yesterday, Ministers and key Conservative Party leaders broke off holidays and official tours, at home and abroad, and hurried to. London to attend today’s meeting. Mr lain MacLeod. Leader of the House of Commons and joint chairman of the Conservative Party, cut short a visit to the United States to fly home five days earlier than scheduled. Last night Mr Macmillan held what some commentators saw as a "council of war” with senior Ministers and toe Government’s Chief Whip, Mr Martin Redmayne. The “Daily Telegraph” said Ministers at last night’s meeting made a preliminary study of the report by the Lord Chancellor (Lord Dilhorne) on security aspects of the Profumo affair. Mr Macmillan then had his usual weekly audience with the Queen. He spent 65 minutes with her. “much longer than usual,” the newspaper said. But there was “nothing alarmist” about this —though it would be “unrealistic” to suppose the Profumo affair had qot been among the topics discussed. The “Daily Mall” reported that last night's preliminary meeting was held “against a

background of rumour that even more disclosures may erupt from the Profumo scandal.”

Editorially, the “Daily Mail" called for the setting up of a select committee and said: “Now rumour is busy again at Westminster, involving names other than that of Profumo. . . . There is only one way to kill rumour. That is to drag it into the light of day and stamp on it." The “Daily Express" said that "on an objective assessment, Mr Macmillan’s personal position seems grave Senior party officials are beginning to talk of Mr Butler as a possible successor."

The newspaper said that, according to its latest public opinion poll, conducted between June 7 and 10—just after Mr Profumo’s resignation—fewer than three voters out of 10 were now satisfied with the Government’s conduct of affairs.

The “Daily Herald" and the “Daily Mirror” both quoted extracts from an editorial in "The Times" yesterday which criticised the record of the Conservative Government. "Last Straw?” "The Times” said yesterday: "Eleven years’ Conservative rule have brought the nation psychologically and spiritually to a low ebb. Today they (the people at Britain) are faced with a flagging economy, an uncertain future, and the end of the illusion that Britain's greatness could be measured by the so-called independence of its so-called deterent. .. . Mr Profumo's admission could be the last straw." The London Stock Ex - change, which, in a jitter of political nerves on Monday had its biggest slump since the Cuba crisis of last October. yesterday staged a good recovery.