Clause 1 - Electoral regions in the United Kingdom
European Parliament (Representation) Bill
5:45 pm
Mr Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme, Labour)
I apologise.
My hon. next-door neighbour did not address new clause 2. I am surprised at his enterprise in putting down this atomic bomb. The Bill should be relatively uncontroversial, given that his party is not opposed to enlargement of the European Union—at least, that is my understanding.
New clause 2 proposes that if any country, no matter how small—the hon. Gentleman used Lithuania as an example—fails to accede, the flexibility of the United Kingdom and, by analogy, of all member states would simply disappear. The veto of the smallest applicant would prevent any attempts by a nation such as ours to provide flexibility for future enlargement.
Therefore, I would be less generous than the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome about the
mechanism proposed by the hon. Member for Stone, whose views on Europe are very well known. It should not surprise us that he has introduced such an amendment. It is a wrecking amendment. It will wreck national parliamentary flexibility across the European Union and then may very well wreck enlargement as a whole. I would be very grateful if the hon. Member for Stone commented on that.