Government confirms it wants a solution to Strasbourg

Many of you will have supported the One Seat campaign which seeks an end to Parliament sessions in Strasbourg.

Our Labour government, in response to a Downing Street petition, has essentially backed the campaign stating that having two seats for the parliament is "far from ideal" and that want to find "the most cost-effective solution for the conduct of business in the European Parliament".

This is good news but of course the decision on where the Parliament sits is made by all national governments and must be unanimous. There is still little sign that Sarkozy would be willing to end Strasbourg sessions. And there won’t be unless there is a concerted effort to pressure the French government into accepting a compromise. It is encouraging that our government has promised to continue to "press for progress". We should all press the Foreign Office and Number 10 to keep doing so at every opportunity.