Sir James Hutchison, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir James Riley Holt Hutchison, 1st Baronet, DSO
, TD
, JP
(10 April 1893 – 24 February 1979) was a British
army
officer, company director and politician. He was the son of a Scottish shipowner and spent his commercial life in the same field and as a director of shipbuilders, but fought in both World Wars during a long military career. He distinguished himself as the principal British liaison officer with the French Resistance
during the Second World War
in which he needed plastic surgery
to disguise his appearance from the Germans; he was nicknamed the "Pimpernel
of the Maquis
". At the end of the Second World War he was elected as a Unionist Member of Parliament
in Glasgow, and although the city was turning against his party he enjoyed a 14-year Parliamentary career.
magistrate
who had a love of the sea and the shipping business; he was to pass on the same attitudes to his son. He was sent to Stanmore Park Preparatory School followed by Harrow School
for his education, followed by some study in France, before joining the family firm at the age of 19 in 1912. He was still learning the trade when the outbreak of the First World War
led him to enlist in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry
. Hutchison later transferred to the 17th Cavalry of the Indian Army
, and served throughout the war. Hutchison kept up his connections with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and three decades later was appointed as the regiment's Honorary Colonel.
to the Chamber of Shipping from 1933 to 1935, and became chairman of the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
, Hutchison and Craft Ltd, and Grampian Holdings, and also a Director of the Tayside Floorcloth Company Ltd. He was also an insurance broker. In 1928 Hutchison married Winefryde Craft, who bore him a son and a daughter (who predeceased her father).
and North Africa, before joining the Staff. There he was appointed as the principal link between the British forces and the French section of the Special Operations Executive
, the secretive and daring body who undertook sabotage
operations behind enemy lines.
after the Normandy landings. However, the face of 'Colonel Hutchison' was well known to the Gestapo
, who shot saboteurs after capture. He therefore went to London plastic surgeons
to have his appearance disguised before going to France. When the surgery was complete, he was dropped by parachute
in Normandy
and resumed his work. So effective was Hutchison that he was nicknamed the "Pimpernel
of the Maquis
"; he was not captured during four months in France, and at the end of the war he received the Distinguished Service Order
from the British. The French awarded him the Croix de Guerre
and made him a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
.
candidate in Glasgow Central
. The previous election had seen a relatively narrow Conservative majority of 3,521, and was regarded as close enough to be a test of opinion among the Glasgow business community. Conservative Party leader Winston Churchill
(who was somewhat late arriving) addressed a mass meeting at Blythswood Square in the division and received a warm reception from a large crowd. In the circumstances of the election (where the Conservatives lost 180 seats), Hutchison did well to win by 1,516 although the swing in Glasgow was much less than elsewhere.
Without delay Hutchison made his maiden speech
in the debate on the King's Speech
, lauding the United Kingdom for leading the progress of the peoples of the world along the road of social improvement, and calling for a minimum wage
and maximum working day to be imposed on the defeated nations. In the crunch vote in December 1945 on whether to accept the Anglo-American loan
, Hutchison abstained, explaining in a letter to The Times
that the legislation was "disgracefully rushed" and there was too little time for examination and debate.
that there were hundreds of ex-officers who had trained with the resistance movements, and suggested using some to help defeat terrorism in Palestine
by both Arabs and Jews. He was an instinctive opponent of nationalisation, particularly of the electricity generation
industry which he regarded as efficient and prudent.
and an Arab police force in Jaffa
. He was an active opponent of the nationalisation of Iron and Steel, serving on the Standing Committee examining the Iron and Steel Bill where he unsuccessfully pressed for a requirement that one member of the corporation running the industry should be from Scotland and one from Wales.
Hutchison had concentrated on industrial matters during his time in Parliament, opposing regulations which restricted business freedom on matters such as price control. He insisted that these Orders were "full of vice" and questioned their legality. He had continued his business career and was National President of the Incorporated Sales Managers' Association from 1949. His shipbuilding connections led to an appointment as Parliamentary chairman of the Dock and Harbour Authorities Association, which was regarded as a successful choice. Hutchison was well-enough known to be referenced in Soviet
propaganda of the time, being given as one of four examples of the "industrial magnates, landowning aristocrats, dealers and professional politicians" making up the Conservative Party in an article in Trud
.
, Hutchison found his undersized constituency expanded to the east, taking in mostly Labour voters, but he was thought to be in much more difficulty from the abolition of the vote for business premises. Hutchison ended up losing by 3,004 votes.
In August 1950, Sir Arthur Young, Unionist MP for the Scotstoun
division in the north-west of Glasgow, died. Hutchison was selected to follow him in defending a majority of 239. After a close contest, Hutchison held the seat with an increased majority of 1,319. He pitched back into partisan debate, arguing at the 1951 budget that the Government would not have had to increase income tax if it had been able to collect all the taxes which were due. He later insisted that enterprise and commercial courage were threatened by the budget.
, Hutchison was appointed as Financial Secretary
and Under-Secretary of State
to the War Office
. With his post he was ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Army Council and he occasionally deputised for the Secretary of State by attending Cabinet
. Hutchison supported the controversial move to German rearmament in 1952, arguing that Germany should bear some of the burden of providing her own defence.
In 1953 Hutchison initiated a reorganisation of British Anti-Aircraft Command, which reduced the number of heavy anti-aircraft units, and transferred some Territorial Army anti-aircraft units to the field force. He left office in October 1954, succeeded by fellow Scottish military officer Fitzroy Maclean. After his return to the backbenches, Hutchison resumed making partisan speeches; in December 1954 he attacked Labour MPs for politicising military subjects in order to seek political kudos. In March 1955, after a report about the activities of some British Communists in Korea, he urged their prosecution for treason
.
in which he had a majority of 428, Hutchison became President of the UK Council of the European Movement
. He opposed agitation for equal pay for women in November 1955, arguing that "they might work themselves completely out of jobs". In early 1956 he tabled a motion to retain the death penalty
for murderers of police officers.
. When diver Commander "Buster" Crabb
disappeared near a the ship carrying Nikita Khrushchev
and other Soviet leaders, Hutchison appealed for realism and noted that the Russians seemed more prepared to allow the matter to fade than were the British opposition. He noted that Britain was not the only nation with a secret service. In December 1956 Hutchison was elected as chairman of the Scottish Unionist members' committee.
In January 1957, Hutchison was the first British MP to visit Hungary
after the uprising the previous year was put down. On his return he praised the Hungarian people, saying that they were determined not to back the Kádár
régime. After some years as a delegate, in May 1957 Hutchison became President of the Assembly of the Western European Union
.
. His efforts saw success in May 1958 when the Government announced that a technical collaboration agreement with Euratom would be negotiated. The agreement was signed in February 1959. Hutchison was one of the sponsors of a Conservative backbench motion which rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, which attracted over 100 signatories.
. He became Deputy President of Associated British Chambers of Commerce that year, and stepped up to be President from 1960 to 1962. He also served as a member of the Export Council for Europe from 1960. Hutchison was President of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce in 1963. He also held some political appointments, including as a member of a small committee examining applications from servicemen to be released from the forces in order to fight Parliamentary byelections.
Hutchison's work was honoured when he was made an Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John
in 1972, and he received an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Glasgow
in 1973.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(10 April 1893 – 24 February 1979) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, company director and politician. He was the son of a Scottish shipowner and spent his commercial life in the same field and as a director of shipbuilders, but fought in both World Wars during a long military career. He distinguished himself as the principal British liaison officer with the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in which he needed plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
to disguise his appearance from the Germans; he was nicknamed the "Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
of the Maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
". At the end of the Second World War he was elected as a Unionist Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in Glasgow, and although the city was turning against his party he enjoyed a 14-year Parliamentary career.
First World War service
Hutchison's father, Thomas Holt Hutchison, was a shipowner and GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
who had a love of the sea and the shipping business; he was to pass on the same attitudes to his son. He was sent to Stanmore Park Preparatory School followed by Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
for his education, followed by some study in France, before joining the family firm at the age of 19 in 1912. He was still learning the trade when the outbreak of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led him to enlist in the Lanarkshire Yeomanry
Lanarkshire Yeomanry
The Lanarkshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1819, which served as a dismounted infantry regiment in the First World War and provided two field artillery regiments in the Second World War, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry in...
. Hutchison later transferred to the 17th Cavalry of the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, and served throughout the war. Hutchison kept up his connections with the Lanarkshire Yeomanry and three decades later was appointed as the regiment's Honorary Colonel.
Business life
On his return from the war, Hutchison resumed business life, where he rose to senior management positions. He was the representative of GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to the Chamber of Shipping from 1933 to 1935, and became chairman of the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
-History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
, Hutchison and Craft Ltd, and Grampian Holdings, and also a Director of the Tayside Floorcloth Company Ltd. He was also an insurance broker. In 1928 Hutchison married Winefryde Craft, who bore him a son and a daughter (who predeceased her father).
Second World War
Although he was in his late 40s, Hutchison enlisted again at the start of the Second World War. In the early part of the war he served in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and North Africa, before joining the Staff. There he was appointed as the principal link between the British forces and the French section of the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
, the secretive and daring body who undertook sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
operations behind enemy lines.
French resistance
Despite turning 50, Hutchison was instructed to go to France to continue liaison work with the French ResistanceFrench Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
after the Normandy landings. However, the face of 'Colonel Hutchison' was well known to the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, who shot saboteurs after capture. He therefore went to London plastic surgeons
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
to have his appearance disguised before going to France. When the surgery was complete, he was dropped by parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and resumed his work. So effective was Hutchison that he was nicknamed the "Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
of the Maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
"; he was not captured during four months in France, and at the end of the war he received the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
from the British. The French awarded him the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and made him a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
MP for Glasgow
Immediately on leaving the Army, Hutchison pitched into the political world as ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate in Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Central is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . In its current form, the constituency was first used in the general election of 2005, but there was also a Glasgow Central constituency from 1885 to 1997.- Boundaries :The Redistribution of Seats Act...
. The previous election had seen a relatively narrow Conservative majority of 3,521, and was regarded as close enough to be a test of opinion among the Glasgow business community. Conservative Party leader Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(who was somewhat late arriving) addressed a mass meeting at Blythswood Square in the division and received a warm reception from a large crowd. In the circumstances of the election (where the Conservatives lost 180 seats), Hutchison did well to win by 1,516 although the swing in Glasgow was much less than elsewhere.
Without delay Hutchison made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
in the debate on the King's Speech
Speech from the Throne
A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign reads a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government's agenda for the coming session...
, lauding the United Kingdom for leading the progress of the peoples of the world along the road of social improvement, and calling for a minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
and maximum working day to be imposed on the defeated nations. In the crunch vote in December 1945 on whether to accept the Anglo-American loan
Anglo-American loan
The Anglo-American Loan Agreement was a post World War II loan made to the United Kingdom by the United States on 15 July 1946, and paid off 29 December 2006...
, Hutchison abstained, explaining in a letter to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
that the legislation was "disgracefully rushed" and there was too little time for examination and debate.
Attitude to nationalisation
Hutchison was concerned by the Government's Civil Aviation Bill, particularly in its effect on Prestwick Airport which he feared would be "[chucked] overboard". In July 1946 Hutchison reminded Prime Minister Clement AttleeClement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
that there were hundreds of ex-officers who had trained with the resistance movements, and suggested using some to help defeat terrorism in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
by both Arabs and Jews. He was an instinctive opponent of nationalisation, particularly of the electricity generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
industry which he regarded as efficient and prudent.
Industry
When the Government announced the end of the British mandate in Palestine, Hutchison thought the territory would be dynamite, and foresaw an impossible position with a Jewish police in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and an Arab police force in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
. He was an active opponent of the nationalisation of Iron and Steel, serving on the Standing Committee examining the Iron and Steel Bill where he unsuccessfully pressed for a requirement that one member of the corporation running the industry should be from Scotland and one from Wales.
Hutchison had concentrated on industrial matters during his time in Parliament, opposing regulations which restricted business freedom on matters such as price control. He insisted that these Orders were "full of vice" and questioned their legality. He had continued his business career and was National President of the Incorporated Sales Managers' Association from 1949. His shipbuilding connections led to an appointment as Parliamentary chairman of the Dock and Harbour Authorities Association, which was regarded as a successful choice. Hutchison was well-enough known to be referenced in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
propaganda of the time, being given as one of four examples of the "industrial magnates, landowning aristocrats, dealers and professional politicians" making up the Conservative Party in an article in Trud
Trud (Russian newspaper)
Trud is one of Russia’s largest-circulation daily newspapers. It also publishes a weekend edition under a name "Trud-7". Since 2005, acquired by Promsvyazcapital Group and in 2008 has become a core asset of MEDIA3 holding, alongside with Argumenty i Fakty weekly...
.
Defeat and quick return
At the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, Hutchison found his undersized constituency expanded to the east, taking in mostly Labour voters, but he was thought to be in much more difficulty from the abolition of the vote for business premises. Hutchison ended up losing by 3,004 votes.
In August 1950, Sir Arthur Young, Unionist MP for the Scotstoun
Glasgow Scotstoun (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Scotstoun was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
division in the north-west of Glasgow, died. Hutchison was selected to follow him in defending a majority of 239. After a close contest, Hutchison held the seat with an increased majority of 1,319. He pitched back into partisan debate, arguing at the 1951 budget that the Government would not have had to increase income tax if it had been able to collect all the taxes which were due. He later insisted that enterprise and commercial courage were threatened by the budget.
War Office
Although his majority was reduced to 625 in the 1951 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
, Hutchison was appointed as Financial Secretary
Financial Secretary to the War Office
Financial Secretary to the War Office was an office of the British government, the financial secretary of the War Office department.The post was combined with that of Under-Secretary of State for War from 17 April 1947....
and Under-Secretary of State
Under-Secretary of State for War
The position of Under-Secretary of State for War was a British government position, first applied to Evan Nepean . In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged and the post became that of Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies...
to the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. With his post he was ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Army Council and he occasionally deputised for the Secretary of State by attending Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
. Hutchison supported the controversial move to German rearmament in 1952, arguing that Germany should bear some of the burden of providing her own defence.
In 1953 Hutchison initiated a reorganisation of British Anti-Aircraft Command, which reduced the number of heavy anti-aircraft units, and transferred some Territorial Army anti-aircraft units to the field force. He left office in October 1954, succeeded by fellow Scottish military officer Fitzroy Maclean. After his return to the backbenches, Hutchison resumed making partisan speeches; in December 1954 he attacked Labour MPs for politicising military subjects in order to seek political kudos. In March 1955, after a report about the activities of some British Communists in Korea, he urged their prosecution for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
Death penalty
After a narrow re-election in the 1955 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1955
The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...
in which he had a majority of 428, Hutchison became President of the UK Council of the European Movement
European Movement
The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...
. He opposed agitation for equal pay for women in November 1955, arguing that "they might work themselves completely out of jobs". In early 1956 he tabled a motion to retain the death penalty
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
for murderers of police officers.
Cold war incidents
In the New Years' Honours list of 1956, Hutchison was awarded a BaronetcyHutchison Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Hutchison, all in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two creations are extant as of 2010....
. When diver Commander "Buster" Crabb
Lionel Crabb
Lionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
disappeared near a the ship carrying Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
and other Soviet leaders, Hutchison appealed for realism and noted that the Russians seemed more prepared to allow the matter to fade than were the British opposition. He noted that Britain was not the only nation with a secret service. In December 1956 Hutchison was elected as chairman of the Scottish Unionist members' committee.
In January 1957, Hutchison was the first British MP to visit Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
after the uprising the previous year was put down. On his return he praised the Hungarian people, saying that they were determined not to back the Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
régime. After some years as a delegate, in May 1957 Hutchison became President of the Assembly of the Western European Union
Western European Union
The Western European Union was an international organisation tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels , an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels...
.
Atomic research
Hutchison increasingly concentrated on defence issues in the late 1950s, and also urged more investment in atomic research. He pressed in December 1957 for the United Kingdom to join the European Nuclear Energy AgencyNuclear Energy Agency
The Nuclear Energy Agency is an intergovernmental multinational agency that is organized under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development...
. His efforts saw success in May 1958 when the Government announced that a technical collaboration agreement with Euratom would be negotiated. The agreement was signed in February 1959. Hutchison was one of the sponsors of a Conservative backbench motion which rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, which attracted over 100 signatories.
Later business career
In 1958 Hutchison announced that he would not seek re-election, and left Parliament at the 1959 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
. He became Deputy President of Associated British Chambers of Commerce that year, and stepped up to be President from 1960 to 1962. He also served as a member of the Export Council for Europe from 1960. Hutchison was President of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce in 1963. He also held some political appointments, including as a member of a small committee examining applications from servicemen to be released from the forces in order to fight Parliamentary byelections.
Hutchison's work was honoured when he was made an Officer of the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
in 1972, and he received an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1973.