 The opposition Labour party protested at Home 's appointment ; its leader , Hugh Gaitskell , said that it was " constitutionally objectionable " for a peer to be in charge of the Foreign Office . Macmillan responded that an accident of birth should not be allowed to deny him the services of " the best man for the job – the man I want at my side " . Hurd comments , " Like all such artificial commotions it died down after a time ( and indeed was not renewed with any strength nineteen years later when Margaret Thatcher appointed another peer , Lord Carrington , to the same post ) " . The Home – Heath partnership worked well . Despite their different backgrounds and ages – Home an Edwardian aristocrat and Heath a lower @-@ middle class meritocrat raised in the inter @-@ war years – the two men respected and liked one another . Home supported Macmillan 's ambition to get Britain into the EEC , and was happy to leave the negotiations in Heath 's hands . 
