BRITISH POLITICS

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1942, Page 2

BRITISH POLITICS

Party Resignations BOW. RUGBY, February 23. The King held a Privy Council at Buckingham Palace, to-day, at which the Ministers affected by the recent Cabinet changes were sworn in and received their seals of office. Sir Douglas Hacking, M.P., has tendered his resignation to Mr Churchill from the chairmanship ot the Conservative Party, to take effect on March 6, the sixth anniversary of his appointment. M r Churchill, as leader of the Party, has accepted the resignation with regret. Major T. L. Dugdale, M.P., present vice-chairman of the Party, and Government Whip, has been appointed as chairman, and Colonel Harold Mitchell, M.P., will succeed him as vice-chairman. Informing Mr Churchill of his decision, Sir Douglas Hacking pointed out that, when Earl Baldwin appointed him to office, it was understood, that the appointment was for a period of five years. This was confirmed bv Mr Chamberlain when he succeeded to the leadership of the Party. On Mr Churchill’s election, he was asked to continue for a further undefined neriod. He had completed six not uneventful years, and felt that the time had now come to make way for another. The tradition of the Party was that, in times of war and national emergency, Party strife should be suspended, and he claimed that the self-restraint exercised by the Conservative Party during the war had materially contributed to the unity of all sections of the nation.

In reply, Mr Churchill expressed gratitude for the help given him, and accepted the resignation with regret, remembering the loyalty and assistance given during his leadership of the Party. Because he disagrees with the continuance of Party politics, Mr King Hall, M.P., has resigned from the National Labour organisation, and will in future sit as an Independent National. Mr King Hall said: “I have taken this step to show my profound conviction of the urgent necessity for a great national awakening to the peril in which we stand, and the need for many kinds of drastic action. Mr Churchill’s speech at the next sitting of the House of Commons will be made in public. It will not, therefore, be necessary for the House to go into secret session.