Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 July 1953.

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Photo of Mr Arthur Bottomley Mr Arthur Bottomley , Rochester and Chatham 12:00, 10 July 1953

The President of the Board of Trade came along this morning expecting an atmosphere of calm, and I imagine that his speech was couched in terms to secure that objective. There have, however, been one or two stormy passages, particularly from one of his hon. Friends, and I imagine that inside the Cabinet there has been a struggle to get the Bill before the House today.

I should like to claim, on behalf of the Labour Party, that we, by our constant criticism and pressure upon the President of the Board of Trade, have encouraged the Bill to be presented. After all, the Bill was suggested in the Tory Party Election manifesto and it was considered so important that it was introduced in the Gracious Speech in 1951, but we have had to wait until today for its presentation for Second Reading.

As far as we on this side are concerned, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Huyton (Mr. H. Wilson) has said, we had been considering the strengthening of the Act. Statements were made in the House on two occasions and in our Election manifesto an indication was given that we were going much wider than the Bill goes today. Therefore, although we welcome the Bill and will give it our blessing, it falls far short of what we think necessary to meet the position today.