At attempt in the House of Commons to force cuts in the UK’s contribution to the EU Budget failed this week, but the Island’s MP Andrew Turner claims that the vote has sent a ‘strong message’ to the Government. The EU Commission have proposed an increase of almost 6% in their budget for 2011, leading to an additional UK contribution of £380m, over and above already built-in increases. Mr Turner was one of 42 MPs who supported the call for the Government to reduce Britain’s EU budget contribution. The amendment was lost with 252 MPs voting against it.
During the debate on Wednesday evening about the draft EU budget the Government accepted an amendment that called for the UK government to resist demands to increase the budget. Our net contributions to the EU are scheduled to rise from £6.4 billion this year and £8.3 billion in 2011-12 to £10.3 billion in 2015. Gross contributions are even higher; currently £13.3 billion, they are scheduled to rise to £19 billion.
Mr Turner explained why he had rebelled against the coalition government and voted to support calls to cut the EU budget :
“National governments across Europe are facing serious economic pressures and are tightening their belts. The EU’s accounts have not passed an audit for 15 years and there are numerous examples of fraud, waste and inefficiency. It seems extraordinary that the EU thinks it can simply carry on spending our money in the way it always has.
“At the same time that I am dealing with letters from Islanders worried about how the spending review on Wednesday will affect them, I simply could not support this. I could not have looked my constituents in the eye when explaining that difficult decisions had to be made if I had not opposed this ridiculous suggestion from the EU. 37 Conservative MPs, many of them only recently elected, voted for the amendment. Many more abstained. That sends a strong message to the Government that the new House of Commons cannot be simply ‘whipped’ to support things that the hard-working taxpayers we represent disagree with. ”
During the debate the Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee Bill Cash MP, announced that the Committee would be launching an inquiry into whether EU legislation overrides decisions made in Westminster.
Mr Turner said :
“I am very glad that there is going to be proper scrutiny into the question of parliamentary sovereignty. I also welcome the recent announcement that there is to be a Sovereignty Clause in a forthcoming EU Bill that will put beyond doubt that ultimate authority rests with the British parliament. It was claimed that an amendment calling for cuts to the EU budget would be illegal under EU law. I don’t necessarily accept that, but if it is true it is disgraceful that British MPs cannot reject increases in payments to the EU on behalf of British tax-payers.
“Tony Blair gave away a large part of our rebate in December 2005 in return for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – that costs Britain £2 billion each and every year and there has been no CAP reform. If the EU doesn’t keep its word then it is certainly not acceptable for MPs to be forced to vote to increase the money we throw down their bottomless pit.”
END Contact : Andrew Turner’s office 01983 530808
The full debate can be read here :
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101013/debtext/101013-0003.htm#10101345000001
