Vainly Mr. Alexander protested that, this was a travesty of
his argument. Mr. Churchill, enjoying him- self hugely, insisted that he was running away from his own speech. " I take it as a good augury," he jeered, "that in this the preliminary skirmish, in the first challenge that we have made, the Labour Party has hoisted the White Flag.'' His devastating speech has obviously influenced the course of action of 1 he Labour Party. There was a new cautiousness in their attack when the report stage of the supplementary estimates was reached on the following (lay. Mr. Ammon, an ex-Civil Lord of the Admiralty, finding that it, was impos- sible under the rules ol' the House to move a reduction in the vote, and faced with the necessity, if a division was taken, of voting against the whole estimate, wisely (lid not insist on a division. There are powerful arguments against Mr. Churchill's inclusion in the Government, but there is no doubt that the Government Front Bench is badly in need of a first-class debater of his calibre.
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