SEOUEL TO COMMONS DEFEAT— Socialist Agitation For Early Election

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 April 1950, Page 6

SEOUEL TO COMMONS DEFEAT— Socialist Agitation For Early Election

LONDON. March 31.—“Labour Party agitation for an early election was the biggest reaction tp the Government defeat by 26 votes in the House of Commons on Wednesday sa Y s th e political correspondent of the Daily Mail. One junior Minister said: “We cannot go on like this. I favour an immediate election. Ministers cannot dp departmental work and put in full attendances at the House of Commons such as will be demanded throughout the Budget debate after Easter.”

The political correspondent of the Daily Express says that Mr Attlee will conduct the biggest party discipline purge for years following the; defeat. Mr Attlee’ is calling upon six Ministers, four of whom are in the Cabinet, to explain personally why they were absent from the division. He will tell them that they must do better if they want to stay in office. The six Ministers are the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Stafford Cripps), the Minister of Defence (Mr E. Shinwell), the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr James Griffiths), and the Secretary of State for Scotland (Mi' Hector McNeill) —all in the Cabinet —the Minister of Supply (Mr George Strauss) and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Mr Ernest Davies). Mr Attlee is being forced to take a strong line with these Ministers to strengthen the hand of the Chief Whip (Mr William Whiteley) who must deal with 21 back-benchers who were absent without leave.