The Week in l arliament
Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : The debate on the Address was moved by a Squadron-Leader, Mr. Grant Ferris, and seconded by a Socialist Mayor of Poplar, Mr. Charles Key. The Prime Minister made no fresh statement on the war, but he indicated that there would be two main items of legislation, the War Damage (Compensation) Bill and the Means Test Bill. For the rest he hoped that Parliament would debate topics of general .public interest, giving guidance and encouragement to the nation and administering when required the necessary corrective to the executive. But this was not good enough for Mr. Bevan, who devised an ingenious amendment to try and safeguard the freedom of back-benchers, while holding the threat of a possible division in the background. The precise form of the amendment may not have been workable, but the idea behind it was excellent. With the lack of by-elections to test policy, it is important that Members should retain the right of changing the Government from within.
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