Clause 8 — Commencement

Part of Orders of the Day – in the House of Commons at 4:15 pm on 5 March 2008.

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Photo of Iain Duncan Smith Iain Duncan Smith Conservative, Chingford and Woodford Green 4:15, 5 March 2008

I enjoy following Sir Gerald Kaufman. We have agreed on some things; we do not always agree on everything. First, let me state my position, as he did not read my name out from his list. I voted for the referendum on Maastricht. I voted against a lot during that period, but for a referendum, and here I am, still on the Back Benches, which shows what follows all that rebellion.

I wanted to keep my remarks short, as I know that others wish to speak, but those who believe me when I say that will be mad, because I am a politician and will therefore go on a little bit. Mr. Davidson was right. At the Dispatch Box as Leader of the Opposition—wonderful days—I questioned the then Prime Minister about the issue with no effect, and I asked him for a referendum eight times. Eight times in a row he told me categorically that no such thing was necessary because what was about to happen was not consequential and—what was the phrase used by the Foreign Secretary?—not fundamental. Nothing was so important that it changed our relationship, and so there was no need for a referendum. It was not until after I had gone, sadly, that he gave the pleasure to my successor of agreeing to a referendum. I thought that was a bit mean at the time, because things might have been different—who knows? Never mind; I do not want to go back there.

That is the main point. The hon. Gentleman was absolutely right: we can only reach one simple conclusion. I know that there is a huge debate running and rolling, which is full of history and memory. I love these European debates, because we have a sort of private conversation with each other about what we did 10 years ago, what our antecedents did 100 years ago and what we might be doing in 10 years' time. However, he was right to say that the truth was that the then Prime Minister, with some trusted and confidential friends, made a decision. As they rolled towards an election, they decided that they would not survive it unless they answered the question about the referendum, which the Conservative party claimed was the way to settle the issues about the constitutional treaty. That was very simple.

We are all politicians—although that might have escaped the notice of one or two colleagues—and we have to win elections. That is the simple sine qua non of being on the Government or Opposition Benches. Occasionally—surprise, surprise—Governments make cynical decisions. The decision on the referendum was a cynical decision made by the Government to get them past the election, and they decided to deal with the rest as it followed.