Crossing The Floor
Despite thoughts that Thomas might be 'leadership material', Attlee dropped him from the government on 7 October 1947, a dismissal which was unexpected. The reason was Thomas' increasing disillusion with socialism. In March 1948 he spoke at an Italian election rally for the moderate Italian Socialist Party calling for a federation of Europe; when it was revealed that left-wing Labour Members of Parliament had sent a telegram of support to Pietro Nenni, leader of the rival left-wing Italian Socialists, Thomas signed a motion calling for a Select Committee to investigate.
On 13 October 1948 Thomas wrote to The Times to urge the government to "drop all contentious legislation" in the forthcoming Parliamentary session, specifically the Parliament Bill and the Steel Bill, prompting considerable debate. Immediately after the King's Speech in which both Bills were included, Thomas wrote to Attlee announcing his resignation from the Labour Party. He said he had been "particularly disturbed by the growing concentration of power in the hands of the State" and accused the government of surrendering "to its more extreme members and supporters".
Read more about this topic: Ivor Bulmer-Thomas
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