GOVERNMENT TO STAY IN OFFICE DESPITE DEFEAT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23217, 31 March 1950, Page 5

GOVERNMENT TO STAY IN OFFICE DESPITE DEFEAT

(N.Z.P.A.—Reuter— Copyright.)

;(10,30 a.m.) LONDON, March 30. The British Cabinet met this morning and decided that it would not accept the Government defeat in the House of Commons last night as a Parliamentary rejection of a vote of confidence in the Government.

The Government will therefore remain in office despite the vote of 283 to 257 against Labour.

Though the defeat, which fol- ; lowed a stormy debate on fuel and power, surprised the Government, it is regarded as a procedural matter.

representative must remain permanently in or near the House when it is in session unless he is ill or has consulted in advance with the party whips who are responsible for organising the attendance for voting.

The Government has no immediate plans to counter the .defeat by forcing a vote of confidence.

Though it was not a confidence vote and so did not involve any possibility ol resignation, the Government, with a slender majority of three in the House, obviouslv cannot afford many similar defeats even on minor issues.

Not Taken Too Seriously

The Cabinet at today's “inquest” felt that the defeat should not be taken too seriously. However, it was considered a clear warning to the whole Labour Party to be ready to meet any further surprise Opposition challenges at full strength. All 38 Government supporters who .pissed the division will receive stern rebukes and warnings.

So there will be a thorough inquest. Even allowing for invalids and unavoidable absent :as like the Foreign Minister, Mr. Bevin. who is now in Strasbourg, the Government snould have been able to poll 308 votes when the Conservative Opposition last night called for a snap division to show its disaporoval of the Government statement on petrol and coal, but only 2j7 votes were cast for the Government. Fifteen of Labour’s members had paired with Opposition members with the permission of the whips. Mr. Attlee, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Morrison. the chief Labour Whip, Mr. William Whileley, will want to know where the other 36 missing supporters were. “Troops Kept in Ambush”

The Prime Minister, Mr. C. R. Attlee, later today told the House of Commons of the Government’s decision to carry on when Mr. Churchill asked him if he had any statement to make upon the “Parliamentary occurrence of last sight.”

Safeguard* Against Repetition

The Government is expected to take «wift action to guard against any repetition of the defeat. Many Labour members of Parliament expect a stern and inflexible order that every Labour

Mr. Attlee, who was received with loud Government cheers, said: “It was quite obvious that in the conditions obtaining in the present House of ComJmons. there always was a possibility of the Government being defeated on a particular division. “The Government is in the position of having to be constantly on watch all the time and its members have to be present. On the other hand the position of the Opposition is that they can direct an attack.” Mr. Attlee said he thought the debate on the adjournment had been taken in order to give the greatest scope to the Opposition for their speeches. “I understand that everything had been admirably arranged as one would expect from an experienced strategist like the right honorable gentleman opposite,” he said. _ “The troops were kept more or less in ambush. “I agree that the Government forces ought to have been in full strength. I regret that they were not and the right honourable gentleman, therefore, was able to score a success. Last night was obviously not a major occasion.” , ~ Mr. Attlee said: “It was a vote on the adjournment and under those conditions certainly I do not intend to regard it as a vote of censure on the Government. _ . . “On anv occasion if that should be done, we'should be prepared to meet it but as the conditions are the Government proposes to carry on." There was a great outburst of laughter when Mr. Churchill rose to express thanks to the Prime Minister “for the verv full and careful statement he has made.” Mr. Churchill said: “We express our obligations to him for having taken so much trouble upon a matter raised by the Opposition, and I should like also to congratulate him upon the great joy and relief which his remarks have given to the party opposite.”

DEFEAT IN THE LORDS (10 am.) LONDON, March 30. Britain's three-weeks-old Labour Government suffered its second defeat in 24 hours today when the House of Lords, which has a Conservative mapority, carried a Tory amendment to the Government bill about the functions of midwives.