The Week in Parliament
Our Parliamentary correspondent writes: On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's usual weekly statement on the progress of the war was completely overshadowed by the remarkable oration of Mr. Churchill. For oration it was ; the House recognised it as such, and gave the First Lord an ovation at the end of it. In three weeks Mr. Churchill has made him- self the outstanding figure on the Front Bench, and his translation from the corner seat below the gangway to a seat opposite the box has made him, without question, the most commanding personality in Parliament. So long as he remained a back-bencher a considerable number of Mr. Chamberlain's supporters could find little to praise in Mr. Churchill's speeches or activities. Even after he went to the Admiralty for a short time the whisperers were suggesting that the years had taken their toll and that he was not the man he used to be. His Tuesday speech smashed and con- founded these critics and revealed to a delighted House all the weapons of leadership which the First Lord's armoury contains. It was natural for comparison to be made between the Prime Minister's statements and Mr. Churchill's. It is acknowledged that Mr. Chamberlain's burden is overwhelm- ing, that his vigour and decisiveness are admirable ; but the House was waiting for a stirring call to be delivered to the country. If this was the purpose of Sir Samuel Hoare's broadcast effort, it failed lamentably. Members everywhere were saying on Tuesday and Wednesday that the nation will never let go of Mr. Churchill now that, at long last, he is back in the Cabinet.
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