The Benn Diaries: 1940-1990 (66 page)

‘Harold, the Party, if the press is to be believed, is about to elect a very senior politician to be its new leader and in a few years’ time there will no doubt be a demand for a younger man. All I hope is that when you stand again, you won’t split the left-wing vote.’

Jim was friendly to me, and cheerful. He said, ‘I had given up ambition years ago but when the opportunity to become Leader comes your heart is bound to quicken and I am really fighting to win.’ I said, ‘I know that.’ Of course he wants my vote in the second ballot. I can get on well with Jim Callaghan though he is a tough politician and wouldn’t let you get away with much, probably less than Harold.

Michael Foot said he didn’t think Harold was going to retire at all. He said
he thought in a few years’ time there would be a national damour for him to come back and take charge again.

Spoke to Marcia, who said she couldn’t understand it and that Harold had said the other day, ‘I suppose Paddy’, (that’s his labrador) ‘is going to be replaced by an older dog.’ So there is no doubt who he thinks is going to win and who he wants to win – Jim Callaghan.

‘By the way, Harold, I’ll tell you who knew your secret before anyone else,’ I said.

Harold had been boasting how it had been a well kept secret, and he said, ‘Who?’

‘The Government Car Service.’

‘What do you mean?’

I said, ‘As far as I remember, Ted Heath provided you with a car when you were Leader of the Opposition, the first time that had ever happened, and you gave him a car when you won in 1974. But last year when Ted Heath gave up the leadership of the Tory Party, you made a ruling that
all ex-Prime Ministers
would have a car. I gather you foisted a car on to Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who didn’t want one, and Lord Avon, who didn’t want one. Well, the word went round the Government Car Service that the reason you’d done this was because you were going to retire.’

I said this jokingly, but Harold began looking very sick. He said, ‘Not at all, it’s for security reasons.’

Marcia was just smirking and it was obvious Harold didn’t like it. She said to me, ‘You are a naughty man – of course that’s right!’

So Ron Vaughan had been absolutely bang on.

Harold said, ‘Well, you’ll be here one day.’ There is no doubt that Harold has a deep personal dislike of me and I don’t know what it is. The pathetic thing about tonight was that nobody was sad that he was going. He hasn’t inspired any affection, he’s just done his job like a Civil Service Prime Minister for years, fudged every issue, dodged every difficulty, but kept us in power, kept us together, ground out the administrative decisions. It is difficult to feel warmth for him though, as a matter of fact, I get quite soft when I think of his kindness.

Thursday 25 March

A remarkable and dramatic day. Today was the first ballot in the leadership. Caroline, Josh and Stephen came over to the House of Commons. Mary Lou and Joe were there, then Frances, Francis and Mik arrived. He is a scrutineer and I told him I had decided to announce my withdrawal immediately from the second ballot at the Party meeting even if I got through to the second ballot. Mik said, ‘I think that is right.’ I asked if I was in the second ballot and he said ‘Yes’, and then I asked if I was ahead of Healey and he said, ‘You are, quite clearly, though you haven’t got as many votes as I would have liked.’

I had a tremendous row with Frances, who has changed her view, and Caroline was on her side, saying that I shouldn’t withdraw immediately but should think about it.

Then I went to the committee room where the PLP was gathered for the result, and sat on the back row just behind Cledwyn Hughes. The results were announced by George Strauss, the chief scrutineer. Foot 90, Callaghan 84, Jenkins 56, Benn 37, Healey 30, Crosland 17. Foot did extremely well, Jim less well than he expected, Royjenkins got twenty less than he expected, I got twenty more than many people thought, Healey did very badly and Crosland did marginally better than the disastrous result that had been forecast. When Cledwyn announced, ‘In the second ballot Crosland goes out and the candidates are –’, I got up and said, ‘Cledwyn, I have decided to withdraw my name from the second ballot in favour of Michael Foot.’ However, the Party was so stunned by the surprise result, that they didn’t really notice what I had done.

As I was walking down the corridor I passed Michael Foot’s room and it was jammed with people including Neil Kinnock, Judith Hart, John Silkin and I said, ‘Good luck’. They said come in and I said, ‘No, I just want to wish Michael luck.’ I went to the lavatory and when I got back to my room Neil Kinnock and Judith were there, both feeling guilty, I think. They again asked me to go to Michael’s room and join the campaign. I said, ‘I am going to support Michael, you needn’t worry about that. But I am not going to sit in as a sort of Back Bench member of Michael Foot’s campaign committee. I’ll talk to Michael privately.’

Did several TV and radio interviews and came back and talked to Joe. I must say a word about Joe. Not only was he my PPS for just over a year but he has been my friend and as campaign manager has been absolutely brilliant. Every time he is on television, his whole presentation has a completely different flavour from that of the other po-faced campaign managers.

Friday 26 March

Cabinet at 10.30 and as I sat waiting with Michael outside the Cabinet Room Jim came up and he said, ‘Well, Michael, I just want to tell you that if you win on the next ballot, I shall have twenty-four hours of disappointment but after that I shall be completely all right.’ Jim was trying to be friendly but it wasn’t terribly convincing.

Saturday 27 March

Slept until midday, then Caroline and I went to the Holland Park School Fair and had a lovely day. Gradually began sorting out the backlog of work.

Monday 29 March

Went over to Number 10 for Harold Wilson’s farewell party. I thought it
would be for Transport House people but when I got there I found it was a typical Harold party with all sorts, including the two policemen from Number 10, with their wives, Wilfred Brown and his wife, the Baloghs, David Frost and his latest actress girlfriend, Morecambe and Wise, the Judds, Ron Hayward, Marcia.

Marcia was very miserable. I saw Mary Wilson and said she would be able to have a quiet life now. ‘I have done my best,’ she said, ‘but I now just want to slip back into obscurity again.’ I asked Ron Hayward, ‘Why do you think Harold has retired?’ He said, ‘Things got too much for him, and he’s lost his nerve.’ I don’t think that’s true, but it is an interesting thought.

Tuesday 30 March

The results of the second ballot were Jim Callaghan 141, Michael Foot 133, Denis Healey 38.1 must say the fact that Denis only got one more vote in the second ballot than I got in the first gave me great pleasure; he was utterly rejected really. It looks as if Jim is going to make it, but there are still uncertainties one way and the other.

At 10.15 I went and voted for Michael Foot in the final ballot.

Thursday 1 April 1976

THE HS-125
was waiting at Prestwick Airport with my old friend Captain Dan Thomas, and I flew with John Hill, Bryan Emmett, and Bernard Ingham to Dounreay, where Dr Blumfield, the Director, met us. I had a chance to look at the new security fence and perimeter track. I pursued with John Hill and with the Deputy Director exactly what the fast-breeder hazards were and the answer is simple: if the sodium pool in which the reactor is situated ran dry or if the control rods could not be inserted and the reactor went critical, then you could get a melt-out through the metal chamber and possibly, though John Hill denied this could happen, through the concrete emplacement: you would have what is called the China
syndrome – where the thing would simply burn its way down through the earth and come out in China (that’s a ludicriously extreme reaction).

In Dounreay, the scientific élite have assumed the role of the lairds and treat the local people as the hoi polloi, although their high level of skill means there is an element of mutual respect.

Monday 5 April

The Wilson era has ended and the Callaghan era has begun. I would say that Jim will prolong this Parliament as long as he can because it may be his only period as Prime Minister. If he loses the next Election, in due time he too will go.

Tuesday 6 April

I went into the House for lunch and who should wander in but Harold himself, puffing his pipe and looking frightfully well.

Harold told us that, walking his dog at Chequers last night, he had decided he was going to sit on the Front Bench and listen to the Budget debate. I must say, my heart warmed to him a bit.

I am going to have a talk to him once the tumult has died down. There are a lot of things I’d like to know – particularly about the security services and I am sure he would be prepared to talk to me.

I sat through Jim’s first Prime Minister’s Questions and number one led to twelve minutes of congratulations. The second was directed at me. ‘Did the statement made by the Secretary of State for Energy about import controls represent the policy of the Government?’

Jim replied, ‘No, Sir. My Rt Hon friend was giving reasons why he was putting himself forward as candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party.’

Then Norman Tebbitt got up and asked, ‘Is it right for the PM to keep in his Cabinet somebody who hates the policies of the entire Government?’

Jim replied, ‘I read my Rt Hon friend’s statement carefully and if there hadn’t been a better candidate standing, I might even have voted for him myself,’ at which the whole House broke out in laughter.

Wednesday 7 April

Had a long talk to Francis Cripps. I don’t know if I will ever be Leader of the Labour Party but I don’t fit the specification for the job as it now is. If I were Prime Minister I would divide the job into three: there would be the Leader of the Party in the Cabinet, with the power of appointment. Then I would have a Chairman of the Cabinet to see that government business was carried on in an orderly way. And I would have a leader of business whose job it was to turn the manifesto into the statute book.

It may be that after five years of Tory Government we may come back in the Eighties. I am sure that the time for all this is the Eighties. It is not now.

Thursday 8 April

Bryan Emmett and Bernard said they would like to take me to lunch. So Francis and I went with them to the Pimlico Bistro and had a meal. At ten to two Bryan was called away by the waiter. When he came back he said, ‘The Prime Minister wants you to phone. There’s no security problem about ringing from the restaurant.’ So I went downstairs in this little cubby hole of an office, surrounded by dirty cups and bills, I phoned back and was put through to Number 10. Jim came on the phone. ‘I want you to stay at Energy.’

I said, ‘I think I have more to offer in terms of democracy and Devolution and Parliament, so I’d like to be Leader of the House.’ I said I would phone back with my answer but I would also like to see him.

We jumped into the car and I went to see Michael Foot. ‘Michael, what’s going to happen to you?’

‘I am going to be Leader of the House.’

‘Well, in that case, I would like the Department of Employment.’ Michael said Albert Booth had been offered it and accepted.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘he could change. He would be a marvellous Secretary of State for Energy, but on merit, seniority and capacity to pull the trade union movement together, I would do a better job at Employment. You know I could, it would be difficult but I would pledge my support. I could do it.’

‘Well, I am afraid Albert has already accepted.’

Of course, the truth is that there has been a double deal – that Jim would block Roy Jenkins from going to the Foreign Office by putting Crosland there, on condition that Michael would not press for me to get Employment.

Friday 9 April

The Roy Jenkins faction are hysterical that Roy hasn’t been given the Foreign Office in the reshuffle.

Monday 12 April

I had a message to go over to see Jim Callaghan and he said, ‘I will tell you frankly, they say you don’t take an interest in Energy.’ This is interesting because this must have come from Sir Jack Rampton straight to Sir John Hunt – the network at work.

‘You have great ability,’ said Jim. ‘I think you could be one of the greatest leaders this country has ever had but I am not sure that you are not aiming to go out and be the darling of the Left. Well, I can be a very hard man and I shall call you in one day if it goes wrong and maybe I shall sack you.’

Jim is handling me skilfully because I am somebody who needs to be at least thought of as not destructive, if not appreciated. I assured him, ‘I am not sitting waiting for the revolution to march on London, I live in the naïve hope that one day you will accept the policies that I advocate.’

‘When they make sense, I will,’ he replied.

‘That’s fine, that’s all I ask. Incidentally,’ I said, ‘I won’t resign unless I think the Government is destroying the Movement, and I can’t see that happening.’