I cannot agree with all that the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Wigg) has said about Mr. George. After all, Mr. George has not yet even had an opportunity of making his maiden speech and has had a very long and arduous struggle to get to the House of Commons. I have known Mr. George in public life longer than anybody here, and he is a man of great pertinacity. He has all the pertinacity of Bruce's spider. Hon. Members will remember that Bruce's spider tried, tried again to do something. Mr. George has been trying hard for a good many years to serve his country in the House of Commons. Almost before Mr. George had an opportunity of making his maiden speech, the Attorney-General introduced a Bill about Mr. George.

I think it must be a constitutional precedent that before a Member has made his maiden speech the Attorney-General has introduced a Bill dealing with him in the discussion of which he is unfortunately not allowed to take part. For many years Mr. George was a constituent of mine. He tried unsuccessfully to get on the county council. He was a colliery manager and was opposed by a very formidable miner called McTurk. There was an election and Mr. McTurk won. That was the first discouragement that Mr. George received in public.

He then showed his determination to represent his fellows in a public capacity by becoming the Conservative candidate for South Ayrshire. [HON. MEMBERS: "How dare he?"] That was in 1951. I did not know at that time that if I had been defeated, I should have done a bad service to Mr. George, because the first time he came to the House of Commons he would have been liable to a fine of £500 for his action in what the Attorney-General has described as holding an office of profit under the Crown.