Editing Hugh Gaitskell (section)

=== Minister for Economic Affairs ===
In January 1950 Gaitskell submitted a paper called "Control and Liberalisation" to the Economic Policy Committee, which he was sometimes invited to attend. He wrote that "On 'liberalisation' we have gone about far enough. But we have done it for political reasons – US and Europe". He was opposed to the convertibility of currencies and non-discrimination between trading partners, both policies which the US favoured. Britain still preferred to encourage trade in pounds sterling within the Commonwealth, and Gaitskell wanted to preserve Britain's ability to avoid downturns like the US downturn of 1948–9, which Britain had largely escaped because of devaluation.<ref>Dell 1997, p.140</ref>

In the [[1950 United Kingdom general election|February 1950 General Election]] the Government were re-elected with a tiny majority. In the ensuing reshuffle Gaitskell was appointed [[Secretary of State for Economic Affairs|Minister for Economic Affairs]], effectively Deputy Chancellor but still outside the Cabinet.<ref name="Matthew 2004, p.288" /> He was made a full member of the Economic Policy Committee.<ref name="Dell 1997, p.136">Dell 1997, p.136</ref> Soon after his promotion he recorded that he often had to stiffen up Cripps, who was not as tough as his public image would suggest, to make sure he did not make too many concessions in negotiations with colleagues.<ref>Dell 1997, p.101</ref>

The level of spending on the new [[National Health Service|NHS]] was already running far in excess of predictions.<ref name="Dell 1997, p.143">Dell 1997, p.143</ref> In November 1949, with the high level of public spending already a problem and under pressure from Cripps, Bevan had pushed an act through Parliament granting the government the power to impose prescription charges, although they were not brought in just yet (Cripps had wanted 1 shilling per prescription, but Bevan had not agreed to this). In the 1949–50 financial year Cripps had allowed £90m of extra health service spending ("supplementaries"). Early in 1950 Cripps backed off from a plan to introduce further charges, this time on false teeth and spectacles, after Bevan threatened to resign, but Gaitskell was put on a committee to monitor Bevan's agreement to a ceiling on NHS spending. The Treasury wanted health spending capped at £350m per annum, although it was willing to accept £392m for 1950–1.<ref>Dell 1997, p.133, 147</ref>

There was already friction between Gaitskell and Bevan. At one meeting, probably 28 June 1950, Bevan had been about to walk out of the room until Attlee called him back. Bevan stopped attending Cripps' Thursday night dinners for economics ministers.<ref>Dell 1997, p.137</ref> After one of those dinners Bevan's old ally [[John Strachey (politician)|John Strachey]], now Minister of Food, rebuked him for attacking Gaitskell, whom he thought "one of the really considerable men of the Government", a suggestion to which Bevan responded with derision, calling him "nothing, nothing, nothing".<ref name="Campbell 2010, p204">Campbell 2010, p204</ref>