Unofiicial Groups

Following the resolution of the Parliamentary Labour Party banning all unofficial group activities, a Group of Labour MPs under my chairmanship met on Tuesday and issued the following statement: "last week the Parliamentary Labour Party passed a resolution calling ‘for the immediate abandonment of all group organizations within the Party, other than those officially recognised.' We deplore this resolution for three reasons. It is illiberal. It is based on allegations which are not true. It is prejudical to party unity. (1) It is illiberal. Such a resolution is unprecedented in the history of Parliament. To demand that MPs should not meet without official approval to discuss matters of common interest gives to the Partymchine a power which it has never exercised before. This resolution seeks to forbid freedom of association among MPs, which has always been a normal feature of Parliamentary life. (2) It is based on allegations which are not true. We deny entirelv that we have ever formed "a party within a Party." When detailed charges attempting to support this allegation were published in the Press, they were exposed as false. (3) It is prejudical to Party unity ... the voting at Morecambe for the National Executive Committee showed that the great majority of Constituency parties recognised that the allegations against us were false. For these reasons we opposed the resolution. Nevertheless, we accept the majority decision of our colleagues and, for our part, we will abide loyally by it. Each one of us, however, will take every legitimate step to persuade the Parliamentary Labour Party to reverse the decision, and to restore as soon as possible to Labour MPs their full rights of free association." Since we attach importance to the publication of this statement in full, I hope you will be able to make it known through your colums,." *This letter from Harold Wilson, PC, MP, appeared in the New Statesman, November 1, 1952.