From the archive: Duration of Present Parliament, 3 August, 1939

Major Stourton (U, Salford, S) asked the Prime Minister whether he was aware of the hostility of the general public to a General Election while international tension persisted and whether in view of the repeated ministerial appeals to lay aside party strife in the public interest to meet a common danger he would consider introducing legislation to amend Section 7 of the Parliamentary Act of 1911, to extend the present Parliament for a further two years.”

The Prime Minister replied: “I should not be prepared to consider such a suggestion without some evidence of the general desire for the postponement of a General Election beyond the statutory term. At present I see no evidence of this.” Sir Kingsley Wood (Secretary for Air) was warmly cheered on making his appearance after his recent accident, when the aeroplane in which he was a passenger made a forced landing.