Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 1 February 1954.
Does the hon. Gentleman appreciate now that the information which he communicated to the chairman of the, Cotton Board, and which he has now given to the House, has been received by the cotton manufacturing and export interests with consternation? Does he not consider that it would have been much better to have taken them into his confidence at an earlier stage and not simply faced them with anaccomplished fact by way of confidential information?