3 MARCH 2001, Page 33

Erroneous committee

From Mr Alistair B. Cooke, OBE Sir: Peter Oborne (Buffer zone'. 24 February) repeats a common historical error by ascribing the origins of the Conservative 1922 Committee to the famous meeting at the Carlton Club on 19 October 1922 at which the Tories decided to ditch their coalition with Lloyd George (a boisterous occasion which, as Lord Crawford's diary records, began at 11 a.m. 'when a waitress advanced with two immense brandies and soda, to lubricate [Austen] Chamberlain and F.E. [Smith]. Much Cheering).

At the ensuing general election, 111 of the 345 successful Conservative candidates had no previous parliamentary experience. In April 1923 a group of them met and passed a resolution that 'a Committee be formed of Conservative Private Members who were elected for the first time in 1922, for the purpose of mutual co-operation and assistance in dealing [with] political and parliamentary questions and in order to enable new Members to take a more active interest and part in parliamentary life'. The Committee gradually evolved into a body representing the interests of all backbench Tory MPs. It was not until the 1950s that it achieved really significant influence over the party leadership.

Alistair Cooke

London SW1