By 293 votes to 262, the House of Commons last night carried an amendment that the death penalty no longer accorded with the needs or instincts of a civilised society and should be either suspended or abolished.
A free vote, an issue in suspense, and that issue retention as opposed to abolition or suspension of the death penalty ╤ here was high drama. More, the drama was lifted far above the general run of great conflicts of opinion in the House of Commons by the inescapable sense of individual responsibility before what is for so many a challenge to conscience. The pressure on the accommodation of the House both on the floor of the Chamber and in the galleries was at its maximum. The two front benches were overloaded.
The Prime Minister was present throughout a great deal of the debate, itself a sign of the exceptional nature of the occasion. Just below him, across the gangway, was Sir Winston Churchill, sunk in silence. He is the oldest living of former Home Secretaries. Mr. Chuter Ede, Labour╒s Home Secretary, who recanted a year ago his support for the death penalty, was poised ready to follow Mr. Lloyd-George, the present Home Secretary.
