Pale and grim, Sir Anthony Eden rose in the House of Commons at 4:35 one afternoon last week to announce the Anglo-French ultimatum to Israel and Egypt. When he had finished, the House was chill with silence, the Tories staring straight ahead with the rigidity of Guardsmen and the Laborites frozen to their seats in horror.
The first man to speak was Opposition Leader Hugh Gaitskell. Gripping the edge of the dispatch box, Gaitskell strove desperately for statesmanlike caution. "I think," said he, "it would be unwise if we were to plunge into any lengthy discussion...
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