British politicians prepare for poll

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33626, 30 August 1974, Page 9

British politicians prepare for poll

t.V.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, August 29. An unofficial General Election campaign is well under way in Britain today, the opposing political parties having disclosed some new policies in preparation for a polling day which seems almost certain to he Thursday, October 3.

Salvoes were exchanged yesterday by the Labour and Conservative Parties, and the leader of the much smaller Liberal Party. Mr Jeremy I horpe. began a vote-winning lour by hovercraft of Devonshire coastal resorts.

However, the only man who can call the election, the Labour Prime Minister (Mr Harold Wilson) remained quietly at his holiday home in the Scilly Isles, off the south-west tip of England, and he is not expected back in London before the weekend. One Labour Parliamen-i tarian, Mr William Hamilton,! confirmed the view already’ expressed by the Secretary! of State for Employment (Mr i Michael Foot), when he said! in a radio interview’ that the I election date had been fixed, for October 3; and a spokes-! man at the Labour Party’s! headquarters was quoted as! saying that that date seemed, the most likely. Mr Wilson will address the! annual conference of the Trades Union Council ini Brighton next week, and the! feeling is firm in political! circles that he will use that, occasion to announce the! election date officially. The economic theme dom-' inating the campaigning so far points to an election fought largely on the same issues as that on February 28, which led to the defeat of Mr Edward Heath’s Con-

servative Government and. brought Mr Wilson back to! power, but without a working ! majority. Yesterday the Conserva-I (five spokesman for the en-’ ivironment, Mrs Margaret (Thatcher, promised that her; ’party would peg home mort- ; gages interest rates at 91 per cent; at present they are at’ 11 per cent. ' The Secretary of State for ; the Environment (Mr An-; thony Crosland) at once dis-; imissed her idea as “midsum-: (mer madness,” and he gave; ;a warning that the next two !years would be years of! !national austerity, whatever; ’government was in power. ( Mr Heath, who is on a! failing holiday off the Essex! ’coast, told a Conservative’ :Party meeting ashore last! jnight that the country faced! I severe debts in future, ini I spite of the revenue which! would accrue from Britain’s; ’North Sea oil. The Labour Party’s home! policy committee last night; itook only 45 minutes to ap-| ’prove a plan to support the; ’creation of directly-elected: assemblies for Scotland and’ Wales. ! Both the main parties are! ’anxious to win support now going to Welsh and Scottish Nationalist Parties. Speculation is mounting in Belfast that the Tory rebel, Mr Enoch Powell, is about to be invited to stand for an Ulster seat in the House of Commtns. I A former Cabinet Minister land member for Wolverihampton (South-West) and a; Ifavourite for years among!

Northern Ireland loyalists, I Mr Powell reappears on the; Ulster scene tomorrow night. ; when he is due to address’ ’Unionists in Armagh. Before going to that meet-, ing he is expected to have: talks with Unionist officers, from the South Down con-’ stituency. for which the pre-’ sent member, Captain Law-! rence Orr, has privately! hinted that he may 7 not stand ; again. Captain Orr was not available for comment today, but Unionists in the constituency are said to be searching hard (for a successor. Captain Orr iheld the seat in February ’with a majority of 5602 ’votes. Mr Powell himself would ’say nothing at his London; ihome yesterday about the’ ’speculation in Ulster. Many Protestant politi-! Icians see Mr Powell as the; jman ultimately to lead their; loose coalition of hard-line (Unionist M.P.s at Westminister. At the moment, the iSouth Down Unionist majority is the lowest of their 11 ’seats, and those backing Mr! Powell are confident that he I would easily boost the majority beyond the five-figure (mark. There was no official confirmation at the Unionists’ headquarters today of a bid to recruit Mr Powell. A spokesman said: “At the moment this is just specula-! . tion, and, anyway, it is a matter for the constituency! association. But Mr Powell is; 1 very popular in Ulster — he: ■ is one politician who has’ ;stood by us while others! have deserted us.” ’