WILSON FACING PARTY CRITICS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31087, 16 June 1966, Page 15

WILSON FACING PARTY CRITICS

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright; LONDON, June 15. Mr Wilson today faces a revolt in the Labour Party by critics demanding drastic cuts in British military commitments east of Suez. He plans to make a rare personal appearance at a private meeting of Labour’s Parliamentary group to tell rebels they cannot dictate to his Cabinet.

But already there are signs that the revolt by Left and Right-wing back-benchers may fizzle out, at least for the time being. Some back-benchers have made it known they will not take part in any vote against the leadership that would disclose a major party split only three months after its big general election victory. The rebels, led by the former Navy Minister, Mr Christopher Mayhew, wants cuts in Malaysia, Singapore and the Persian Gulf to trim £2som off the nation’s £2ooom-a-year defence bill. Mr Mayhew believes that 80 or more back-benchers in the 362-strong Parliamentary Labour Party may today support these cuts. He says: “One hundred votes would be tremendous. In my judgment anything over 80 would be very satisfactory.” Observers say that Mr Wilson will affirm his administration’s decision to keep a military presence in the Far East and South-east Asia be cause some Commonwealth nations might be threatened in this region in the decade ahead. But he will also say Britain is expected to make cuts in her 50,000-strong forces in the area, in consultation with Malaysia and Singapore, when Indonesia ends its “confrontation” of Malaysia.

Britain had not misled Australia and New Zealand over its defence policies in the South-east Asian area, Mr Wilson told the House of Commons yesterday. He said that Britain intended speedily to withdraw from the Far East every unit which ceased to be necessary when confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia ended.