London, Feb. 25.
Reuter learns that it will be announced later to-day that the King has approved the appointment of Viscount Halifax, Lord President of the Council as Foreign Secretary, with Mr. R. A. Butler, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
In reply to Mr. C. R. Attlee, Leader of the Labour Opposition in the House of Commons this morning, the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, said he hoped to conclude arrangements regarding a new Foreign Secretary in the course of the day and to make an announcement in the usual way before the weekend.
William Wedgwood Benn, Labour member for the Gorton vision of Manchester, declared that ey knew that the Prime Minister was going to appoint a member of the House of Lords as Foreign Secretary, and was holding up the announcement until the House rose today.
Mr. Benn asked whether the Speaker, Captain S. A. Fitzroy, being a non-party man, could assist them in order that control of the most important part of the Government's public policy should remain in the hands of elected members of Parliament.
In reply the Speaker said he was afraid that he could not see that he was called upon to give an opinion.
Mr. Attlee then gave notice that, if the new Foreign Secretary was not a member of the House of Commons, he would ask time to discuss the matter.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.