Eurovision at St Oswald's in Guiseley

I had a very entertaining afternoon away from the hurly burly of campaigning last Friday when I judged a Eurovision song contest at St Oswald’s junior school in Guiseley.

The children were split into eight teams representing different countries and all performed superbly. The Swedish team’s singing was magnificent, Greece’s perfomance gave everyone a surprise while Portugal’s modern effort was also a hit. There was also the very poetic Irish entry while Italy’s was accompanied by some superb music, nessun dorma.

Unlike the real Eurovision song contest, there was no tatcical voting so hopefully we produced a fair result! Germany claimed third with a brilliant team effort while Spain’s energetic performance won them second which left Albania to take first place. Their fantastic dancing is what clinched it for me.

It was a wondeful afternoon and all the children, teachers and parents at St Oswald’s should be very proud!

Gloomy weather on the campaign trail

I usually enjoy being out campaigning, putting arguments to people, entering into discussions, countering euromyths and arguing my case. This time, however, the mood is somewhat dampened by the weather: soaked in Sheffield, drenched in Dewsbury and even hailstones in Hull!

Of course, there is also another matter that has put a dampener on the elections – the question of the expenses of our Westminster colleagues. Public opinion has been rightly outraged by some of the revelations.

Clearly, the House of Commons system of allowing members to meet the cost of running a second home by claiming seemingly any household expenditure – without a tight definition of what qualifies – needs radical reform. Clearly, the judgement of many MPs in making claims within this system has to be questioned. It is also clear that those – from all parties – who have broken the rules or made inappropriate claims must be dealt with visibly and severely - as the Labour party has by immediately suspending certain MPs.

The system must be corrected and higher standards applied if public confidence in our elected representatives is to be restored. No doubt there are also rotten apples in the European Parliament too – and let us not forget that Ashley Mote, elected as one of the 12 UKIP MEPs at the last elections, actually went to jail for fraud during his term of office while another, Tom Wise, is currently facing prosecution. Last year, the Tories lost both their leader and Chief Whip in the European Parliament following allegations of financial misconduct.

But when all is said and done, when all the parties have cleaned their stables – as they must – there are still stark differences between them in what they stand for, in what they would do in government, or what they would do with their seats in the European Parliament. It is to be hoped that people will not lose sight of what elections are about: choice between competing policy options for the future – and not focus exclusively on the rotten apples, as long as the latter are being dealt with and if the system is being reformed.

Above all, a rush towards minor parties without duly checking what they stand for could subsequently be a cause for regret among many voters. Voting for the BNP is not voting for a squeaky clean, moderate alternative – it is voting for a Nazi party, which is no better demonstrated by their top candidate in Yorkshire, whose history of involvement in the extreme right and with neo-Nazis is clear for all to see. Voting for UKIP is voting for a party that is almost as extreme and would seek to tear Britain apart from its neighbouring countries and main export market (not to mention the MEPs elected for UKIP who have actually been jailed for fraud and charged with fiddling expenses). The Greens offer an apparently serious alternative, but their constant attempts to outdo every other party in terms of alleged “greenness” has often led to espousing some pretty untenable positions and, anyway, in most regions they do not have a chance of winning a seat. Certainly in Yorkshire & Humber, voting for them is a wasted vote in the battle to exclude the BNP.

I am finding on the doorsteps that once you get beyond the rightful indignation about some of the shenanigans in Westminster and come back to policy choices, the response to Labour’s message in the European elections becomes more positive. Not enthusiastic in all cases, but nonetheless, a recognition that it is clearly better than the alternatives.

Green Lane sets an example for us all to follow

Thanks to an email from a constituent called Ian Lewis I was pleased to discover that Britain's "greenest street" is in Yorkshire & Humber.

Green Lane, in Leeds, took part and won the Green Streets initiative which involved several streets from across the country competing to see who could save the most energy.

While the houses on the streets were given help (such as solar panels and loft and wall insulation), most of the savings came from simply turning things off at the mains, not leaving lights on, cooking more efficiently, not over-filling kettles and ditching the odd appliance. The savings made were astonishing, with Mr Lewis and his family reducing energy consumption by 45%, with Green Lane managing an average of 35%.

As Mr Lewis points out, if we were all to follow Green Lane's example across Britain, Europe and the rest of the world, we could start having an immediate and significant impact on climate change.

These are very easy changes we can all make and must start making. And if we do, we'll not only start having a real impact on the environment we’ll have more money in our pockets too.

Congratulations to all involved in Green Lane's triumph and lets hope everyone else follows in their footsteps.

Click here and here for a little more on the Green Streets initiative

How one Yorkshire company is helping businesses export to the EU

Yesterday I had the pleasure of opening the new premises of a pioneering young company, based in Salts Mill, just five minutes walk from where I live in Saltaire. It is The European Marketing Agency (TEMA)and which specialises in helping Yorkshire & Humber firms in accessing the European market by offering translation, interpretation, market support and advice.

Apparently, many firms, when they first begin to export, focus just on the English speaking world, believing that language and other barriers make it difficult to export to the rest of Europe. Yet we are part of the world's largest market offering us huge possibilities to export to other European countries - tariff free, quota free and with compatible regulations. TEMA helps small and medium sized enterprises overcome any linguistic or psychological barriers they have in accessing that huge market - and one whose purchasing power is, thanks to the soaring value of the euro against the pound, still growing, and right on our doorstep.

In just three years, TEMA has grown from a staff of three to a staff of over 30 and they offer services in almost every European language. They can be a catalyst for a huge expansion of Yorkshire & Humber exports to the rest of Europe.

Another swing to Labour in Yorkshire by-election

I popped over to Hull yesterday to help Labour’s Gary Wareing in his Drypool by-election campaign, which was caused after the Conservative councillor (who had previously been Lib Dem) resigned.

Just like in December’s by-election in Bingley, Labour’s share of the vote once again rose as the Conservatives (who finished last) and Liberal Democrat’s both fell.

In the end, Gary finished second behind the Lib Dem candidate but gained a swing of 9.8% from the Lib Dems to Labour since the local council elections last May.

Here are the figures (pinched from Luke Akehurst’s ever reliable blog) Drypool Ward, Hull City Council. LD regain after their cllr defected to Con. LD 1306 (52.3%, -11.6), Lab 891 (35.7%, +8), NF 184 (7.4%, +7.4), Con 117 (4.7%, -3.6). Swing of 9.8% from LD to Lab since 2008.

Weaker pound can help Yorkshire & Humber’s economy

The soaring value of the euro (and corresponding drop in the exchange rate of the pound) has been given extensive coverage in the media but it is not entirely bad news.

Because the EU budget is calculated in euros it means that the value in pounds of the EU regional funding we receive has suddenly risen dramatically. In 2009, Britain is set to receive around €3 billion in structural funds, worth approximately £2.2 billion this time last year. With the pound having lost around 25% against the euro since then, the amount, at the present exchange rate, would be around £2.85 billion - an extra windfall of over £600 million.

Yorkshire & Humber receives a significant amount of this, and should consequently be a beneficiary of this extra European money. What is imperative now, is that the government, our region’s development agency (Yorkshire Forward) and businesses make sure they make the most of this windfall by spending it on job-creating investments, training programmes and regeneration projects.

Another benefit in the rise of the euro is that its higher value means that there is a corresponding increase in the purchasing power of our main export market. This increases export opportunities for local firms to the eurozone. Again, Yorkshire & Humber is particularly well placed to take advantage of this, with the Humber ports our export highway to the continent.

Yorkshire brewers are a big hit in Brussels

Yesterday I was delighted to attend a reception organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and the British Beer Club in the European Parliament of which I am Chairman.

Some 60 beers from across the North of England were on display, and I am delighted to say that the lion's share were from Yorkshire. The Black Sheep brewery, Coors, Great Heck brewery, Morissey Fox brewery, Tiger Tops brewery, Wold Top brewery, the York brewery and the Yorkshire Dales brewery all brought their beers sample.

While the event was very well attended, with a number of Labour and Tory MEPs (though a distinct lack of any Liberal Democrats) it was particularly interesting to see three different classes of UKIP MEP at the event: ex-UKIP, suspended UKIP and a couple of remaining UKIP members (and equally surprising to see so many of them in Brussels but beer at least attracted them in a way that parliamentary debates rarely do!).

Although the reception itself was a fun and convivial occasion, there are several serious issues at the heart of the event. The British pub industry is in difficulties, not least because of the increasing availability of very cheap alcohol sold in supermarkets and corner shops, a practice which, apart from driving many small brewers out of the market, irresponsibly encourages binge drinking and damages the reputation of the drinks industry as a whole.

The All-Party Beer Group at Westminster, chaired by my local colleague, Selby MP John Grogan, has conducted a lengthy and detailed inquiry into the future of pubs and brewers in Britain and has just published its Community Pub Inquiry. One of their recommendations is for the introduction of a differential between the tax levied on draught beer and that on packaged beers. Consequently, John and the group will be meeting with the Commission today to discuss this and other ideas.

Last night's event should also serve as an eye-opener to our brewers of the massive export opportunities in other European countries. If you go into your local, you will probably find several Belgian beers available: yet only a few years ago, most of these beers were sold only locally in parts of Belgium. They have since managed to take full advantage of the common market and sell across Europe. British brewers have not yet managed this, despite the exceptional quality of many of our beers and, as was amply demonstrated last night, the sheer quantity and wealth of choice. Let's hope that last night which, in addition to British MEPs, researchers and lobbyists, was also attended by several Belgian and Dutch MEPs and drinks industry representatives, will help to change this.

Labour4yorkshire.eu

We have now launched our campaign website for the 2009 European elections, which you can view at www.labour4yorkshire.eu.

You can see our full team of candidates as it results from the ballot of all Labour party members in Yorkshire & Humber. You can also learn more about the work Linda and I do for Yorkshire & Humber in the EU and the benefits membership brings to our region and country. There is also information about how the election works and why it's so importnat that you take part. You can also learn more about each candidate.

Happy surfing!

Come and meet your MEPs in Sheffield

I and my colleague Linda McAvan will be attending this along with the Tory and Lib Dem MEPs from Yorkshire & Humber.

I hope to see you there!

The right, the north, and the south

It’s difficult to know what to say (without being rude)about the paper from the conservative think tank, Policy Exchange, that essentially declared the death of northern England by stating that cities like Bradford, Liverpool and Hull (all of which I have represented either in the past or currently) were “beyond revival” and their citizens should head south.

It’s quite clear that they are not and have in fact been revived to an incredible degree since Labour came into power back in 1997. Indeed, the improvements in some cities are so impressive, you wonder whether any of the authors of the report actually visited the north since it was left to rot in the 1980s by the Tories.

There is plenty of work still to do but the paper shows the inherent difficulty the Conservatives have in understanding the north, as their record in many northern cities illustrates.

John Prescott described the paper as “the most insulting and ignorant policy I've ever heard” while also making the important point that the Tories still see “people as economic units to be moved around.” It is indeed a policy that would be a disaster for the south as well, implying as it does that several million people, needing homes, schools, hospitals, transport and so on, converge on the congested south.

This Policy Exchange paper has justified many people’s concerns about the Conservatives and their relationship with the north so it was no surprise to see David Cameron trying his best to distance himself from the policy, and to play down the close and very real links between Policy Exchange and the Tories.

After all, from its infancy up until 2007, the director of Policy Exchange was Nicholas Boles, a key figure in the modern Conservative Party. Only this year he was appointed Chief of Staff to London Mayor Boris Johnson, while he is also he prospective parliamentary candidate for Grantham and Stamford. Before entering parliament, shadow secretary of state for education, Michael Gove, was the chair of Policy Exchange. It has also published papers written by Tory MEPs.

Since its creation Policy Exchange has essentially served as an academy for future Tory MPs, and influential ones at that, which suggests Cameron’s Conservatives still have a long way to go before they are seen as credible in much of the north of England.

Jonathan Roberts in Thirsk & Malton

It’s always interesting to see how my former assistants progress and I was particularly pleased to see Jonathan Roberts selected as Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Thirsk and Malton.

Jonathan, who’s from Thirsk, worked in my constituency office for just over a year and is well versed in criss-crossing north Yorkshire, which is a good job because the Thirsk and Malton constituency goes right from Skipton-on-Swale to Filey on the east coast!

He has just launched his website which you can view at www.jonathanroberts.org.uk

On the subject of elections I suppose it would be remiss not to mention Crewe and Nantwich, though there is very little which hasn’t already been said. However, if Labour can go another 30 years without losing a by-election to the Conservatives we’ll be doing alright!

Flood-hit areas should recieve all £110million

The decision of the Treasury to pocket nearly £80million of the £110million allocated to Britain from the EU’s Solidarity Fund following last summer’s floods, is regretable.

Unfortunately the issue is further clouded by Conservative attempts to blame Tony Blair and some newspapers proclaiming a “Brussels snatch”.

As the press release from Local Government Minister John Healey explains, the reason only £31million will go to the areas hit by last year’s flooding is to do with the way the UK rebate works.

The rebate refunds to Britain roughly two-thirds of the deficit between the annual total of EU monies raised in the UK and of EU expenditure in the UK. As a result, any extra sums spent in Britain, such as the solidarity fund grant, reduce the UK's deficit. This in turn reduces the size of the eventual rebate by a sum equivalent to two thirds of the extra expenditure in question.

So in short, the Treasury is retaining such a huge chunk of money meant for the flood-hit areas so that it will not lose out when Britain's rebate is calculated.

Throughout the year there will be many issues that effect the amount Britain receives in the rebate and this is of course inevitable but I find it astonishing that the Treasury is guarding against a dip in Britain’s rebate at the expense of hard-hit flood victims and their devestated towns. After all, when extra money comes to farmers through agricultural spending or to poorer regions through structural funding, it does not retain the money in this way.

In our region Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield amongst others all suffered severely from the flooding and I voted for this money in the European Parliament to help them recover. The full £110million should be spent on the areas affected, not hoarded by a mandarin in the Treasury.

You can read my letter to John Healey by clicking here.

Local elections

Parts of Yorkshire bucked the national trend in last week's local elections. There were no Labour losses in Leeds, for instance. But there is no doubt that it was a bad result for Labour. Of course, local elections, like European elections, tend to be dominated by national issues, and in this case the abolition of the 10p tax band featured prominently.

Although there is some logic to abolishing this band (the lower rate applies to a proportion of the income of all income tax payers, meaning that 85% of its value accrues to taxpayers of higher bands - money which could be better used to allieviate poverty by targeting it directly at lower incomes through tax credits and benefits), the policy was not thought through enough in terms of how it would be perceived. Perception is political reality, and a highly visible reduction in take-home pay for lower band taxpayers does not match the sometimes less visible compensations - and not all losers were compensated anyway.

Of course, Labour can point to its record over eleven years which has boosted low incomes through steady economic growth, near full employment, the minimum wage, tax credits, fuel allowances and so on, which far outweigh the effect of the 10p rate. But the opposition were bound to make the most of the headline without looking at the wider context. This should have been spotted and rectified earlier, but at least the government has promised to do so now, refreshingly admitting that (like all governments) it made a mistake. Interestingly, none of the opposition parties are calling for a reintroduction of the 10p rate, but they have certainly managed to exploit the change to the full.

Labour's team for Yorkshire & Humber

I spent the weekend at the Labour Party's Yorkshire & Humber regional conference, listening to a whole host of ministers, MPs, councillors and party members talk about a wide range of issues.

One of the debates was about the EU’s responsibilty to regulate the free market so it works for Europe’s citizens and protects the most vulnerable, in terms of consumer protection, social legislation, the environment, fair trade, health and safety rules, and so on. The discussion once again showed the importance of such European legislation and the need for Britain to take a central role in shaping it.

After our discussion, the four people who, following lengthy internal parocedures in the region, will join myself and my colleague MEP Linda McAvan to make up Yorkshire & Humber’s Labour team for the 2009 European elections were revealed. While the order has yet to be determined (it will be by a one-member-one-vote ballot, which should drop through Labour Party members’ letterboxes later this week), Emma Hoddinott, Mahroof Hussain, David Bowe and Melanie Onn will join me and Linda as part of Labour’s team of six candidates. It will be a good team.

Good to see this story about the impact of the EU’s Objective 1 regeneration programme on the South Yorkshire economy. Employment rose by 14% in the region between 2000 and 2005, a rate that is three times higher than the national average.

The tangible effect of regeneration programmes on economic competitiveness - through training and developing skills, job creation and support for local businesses and entrepreneurship, should not be understated. Objective 1 research has shown that employment in the financial services sector in South Yorkshire has increased by 93% since 2000, while the creative and digital industries have grown by 58%. Indeed, since 2000, Objective 1 programmes have resulted in £800 million of funding to regenerate South Yorkshire and have helped create around 26,000 jobs.

The June 2009 European elections will be upon us soon (whether or not there is a General Election at or near that time). Yorkshire Labour party's European Regional Policy Forum focused on this on Saturday.

Linda McAvan and I reported back to around 100 Labour Party members on our work in the European Parliament over the past year.

In discussion many people were keen to build a positive campaign based on the benefits that joint action at European can provide and on Labour MEP successes in defining and adopting common rules for the common market that protect consumers, workers’ rights and the environment.

In the afternoon Julian Scuola and Alexandra Pardal, from the Party of the European Socialists, spoke of the early work - which all party members are invited to contribute to - in preparing the PES election manifesto, which will eventually provide a common platform for all the Labour parties across the EU in the 2009 election.

Surprising as it may seem I barely mentioned the new treaty in my introductory speech, leaving it to my old friend and former Secretary General of the European Parliament, Sir Julian Priestley, one of the most articulate advocates of the case for Europe. He produced a very thorough explanation of what it contains, and why we should not have a referendum, managing as well to squeeze in an attack on the Eurosceptic lies and distortions.

Former Europe Minister Denis MacShane also made a cameo appearance, making the point that Europe was a wedge issue between Labour and the Tories and one that should be exploited.

In a meeting with Flood’s Minister John Healey yesterday, MEPs were told the good news that Britain is due to receive £115million pounds from the European Solidarity fund, following this summer’s flooding.

It will constitute the second largest payment in the fund’s history with the money going towards paying for the expense of the emergency operation that followed (shelters, temporary accommodation, and restoring utilities) and rebuilding damaged infrastructure like bridges.

It is not yet known how much our region will receive but large parts of South Yorkshire and much of Hull were severely affected by the flooding and I’m sure they will receive the money they need.

The news also vindicates the government’s decision to make a patient and careful analysis of just how much damage was done rather than rushing in with a quick application just to win a few easy headlines.

On another matter of European funding, I have received an answer from a parliamentary question I asked in September concerning congestion in Hull.

Anyone who has used the A63 will know that Castle St in Hull is regularly gridlocked, partly because it is part of the Limerick to St Petersburg Trans-European Network, which carries the bulk of northern England and Ireland’s trade to the continent.

Because of its importance to trade I asked the Commission whether European money would be available to improve the current situation (a short tunnel is one idea), as the road also hinders Hull’s development somewhat by cutting the waterfront off from the rest of the city.

The Commission has since responded and have made clear that Hull could potentially receive some funding or failing that a loan from the European Investment Bank.

It seems like it’s not only the media that have a hand in giving the EU an undeserved bad name. This time, residents in Hull, taking adult educational night classes, were informed that concessions could no longer be given to over 60-year-olds because of EU anti-discrimination legislation.

The letter, sent by Hull City Council to adults enrolled on night classes, should have in fact referred to the UK’s Age Discrimination Act 2006. After consulting with their solicitors, Hull City Council was advised that offering concessions to over 60-year-olds could violate British anti-discrimination laws.

Hull City Council’s Adult Community Learning Centre has now recognised its mistake and is sending a circular to all its students to inform them why exactly concessions can no longer be given based on age – which is not because of any “EU laws”!

But it is mistakes like this (comparable to the recent MV Coronia and Yorkshire Belle affair, where pleasure boats on Yorkshire’s coast were banned due to the British authorities who blamed it on the EU) which contribute to the EU gaining an undeservedly bad name for “interfering.”

Following this month’s earlier story concerning the plight of Scarborough’s MV Coronia – the passenger vessel docked due to new UK maritime legislation – I have been made aware of another Yorkshire passenger vessel facing similar problems. Bridlington’s Yorkshire Belle has been told by the MCA that due to new "EU legislation" it is no longer able to make its traditional voyage between Bridlington and Scarborough.

As I revealed last month, these restrictions are not EU laws – they are existing British maritime laws that the MCA now want to enforce with no exceptions. These British regulations mean that vessels such as the MV Coroniaand the Yorkshire Belle can sail no further than 15 miles from their departure point, but the rules contained in the EU directive on maritime safety restrict vessels from sailing no more than 15 miles from the nearest harbour, meaning that should the MCA apply these rules that the British government agreed at European level, both the MV Coronia and the Yorkshire Belle would be able to continue to make their traditional voyages along the Yorkshire coats with no restrictions.

I have already written to the MCA to request they apply the EU rules that will save these two pleasure boat companies from going out of business, and am awaiting their reply.

To show your support for these vessels, and similar vessels around the country facing the same problems, please sign the petition urging the MCA to apply the restrictions contained in the EU directive on maritime safety.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pleasureboats/

Two famous Yorkshire food products are closer to being recognised in the same light as champagne and Parma ham.

Defra has approved Yorkshire rhubarb growers’ application for Protected Designation of Origin status while Wensleydale Cheese is due to present its application to the Commission in a couple of weeks barring any last minute objections.

The Yorkshire rhubarb application is already in the hands of the European Commission who have a year to consider the case. Should it be approved then the next stage is six-month period for objections to come in from other rhubarb growers across Europe.

Janet Oldroyd, who is organising the campaign, expects some objections to come in from the Netherlands but the name they have applied to protect - Traditional Indoor
Grown Yorkshire Rhubarb – is hopefully specific enough to avoid too much contention.

Having given the application a brief read the intricacies, attention to detail and sheer effort the growers go to produce their rhubarb is astonishing; even the local wool manufactures have a part to play!

Currently just one Yorkshire product boasts a PDO (Swaledale cheese near Richmond) which is pretty dismal considering the rich culture of food the region boasts but if the rhubarb growers and Wensleydale makers are successful lets hope others will be encouraged to apply for the prestigious status.

I spoke in Monday's parliamentary debate on the natural disasters that blighted parts of Europe this summer.

Inevitably, the debate tended to focus on the more recent fires in Greece which have left scores dead and large swathes of the country torched - their worst since 1857, apparently - but I was able to ensure that the floods in Yorkshire and other parts of Britain were not neglected.

They are mentioned in the Parliament's resolution too, endorsing the case for EU solidarity aid. Britain has now formally requested such aid, and the general consensus in debate was that the Commission must release the money rapidly.

Euromyths are not always a media invention – they are sometimes made up by those who have a vested interest in shifting the blame away from themselves. Such is the case with the current controversy over the MV Coronia – the ship that defied the Nazis during World War II to rescue soldiers from Dunkirk, which has now been told it can no longer make the 17 mile journey from Scarborough to Whitby because of “new EU restrictions” limiting the distance a vessel like the MV Coronia can travel to just 15 miles.

Conservative MEP Edward McMillan-Scott has championed the cause, writing a letter to Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, demanding to know “why British laws are being cast aside in favour of an EU directive.” But perhaps Mr McMillan-Scott should have checked his facts first and then he wouldn’t be left with egg on his face.

It turns out that the restrictions preventing the MV Coronia from making its traditional voyage are not EU laws, but in fact UK laws. Not only that, should the UK simply implement the European directive on maritime safety without adding its own restrictions, the MV Coronia would be able to make its traditional voyage.

The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), the organisation tasked with implementing British maritime policy, has deviously suggested that new restrictions placed on passenger vessels have been imposed by the EU because the MCA adopted new EU classifications of vessels in order to apply their existing regulations more stringently than before.

But as well as containing new classifications of vessels, the EU directive also contained new more appropriate restrictions for these classes – but these restrictions have been ignored by the MCA. According to British regulations, the MV Coronia may not travel more than 15 miles from its point of origin, but under the new EU regulations, the MV Coronia may travel within 15 miles of the nearest harbour. This means that should the MCA simply implement the EU maritime safety directive, the MV Coronia would be able to make its traditional voyage with no restrictions.

But Tory MEPs and the anti-EU media don’t care about the facts. All they care about is spreading lies and false fear about the EU. In this case, their desire to criticise the EU has ruined any chance of gaining support for the very thing that would prevent the MV Coronia from going out of business – the rules we jointly agreed with other EU countries.

Following the devastating floods that hit many parts of Yorkshire in June, many people are asking me what the EU is doing to help.

When floods hit Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic in the summer of 2002, the EU stepped in to offer assistance to those countries to help them recover from the crisis. That precedent led to European countries agreeing to set up a European Solidarity Fund, which the EU uses to help countries struck by similar natural disasters, as it did in 2005 for Romania and Bulgaria.

This fund IS available to the UK, and the government have announced they will apply for EU assistance. This means that flood-hit communities in Yorkshire could take a share of up to £125 million in EU aid to help them recover from the floods.

UK Sports Minister Richard Caborn was in Parliament today to meet MEPs to discuss the Commission's forthcoming white paper on the future of sport in the EU.

There was a general fear that the Commission white paper will not adequately address three major issues: the number of "home-grown" members of a team; the collective sale of TV rights; and placing spending caps on teams.

Qualified football referee (and Conservative MEP in his spare time) Chris Heaton-Harris was alone in taking a different view on TV rights. While he believed that selling TV rights collectively is better for the game, he stuck to his guns about the rights of some clubs to sell TV rights individually, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. This is not a view widely held as not only does this give these two clubs an unfair advantage in their own leagues, it also gives them an unfair advantage when competing in European competition. Chris also argued against spending caps (which have proved successful in the Rugby and Football leagues), saying they contravened the free market.

An area everyone agreed on, and an area Richard was extremely keen to see at the fore of the discussion was the issue over "home-grown" players. How could we implement this objective, that sport's governing bodies (such as UEFA), national governments and the European Parliament all support, without falling foul of EU employment laws? "Leave it to the Courts" is the Commission's recommendation but unfortunately the Courts might declare the practice illegal under current legislation regarding the free movement of labour. It would be better to have clarification that the Commission considers the UEFA 'home-grown player' rules to be acceptable.

After the meeting, I had lunch with UEFA President Michel Platini and Press Officer William Gaillard who agree with the above. However, I couldn't resist the opportunity to upbraid them on their comments on Liverpool supporters at the European Cup Final in Athens, and implicitly, all English club supporters for travelling to matches without tickets. They are not the only ones to do that and there is little that can be done about it. What UEFA should do is focus on what it CAN do, namely have a proper system of checking tickets at the stadium. I know people who walked straight in without tickets, which is ludicrous and will only encourage ticketless supporters to try it on in the future. There was also a problem of forged tickets being sold to supporters.

On the last point the University of Leeds is setting up a new Anti-Forgery Research Centre (ARC) which is at the forefront of developing technologies such as invisible barcodes that could help prevent this problem in the future. I am putting them in touch with UEFA.

Great to see EU regional funding being put to good use in developing the University of Hull's Business School (now with some 2000 students) and its new Logistics Institute which is attracting interest across Europe. The EU funding is contingent on them reaching out to help local businesses improve their operational efficiency, thereby bringing added value and extra jobs to the local economy.

The school, in a sensitively restored building, features state-of-the-art modern equipment. University lecturers can saunter into the lecture theatres carrying no more than a memory stick: notes, graphs, pictures et al can be projected on to screens and students' laptops. Instead of old blackboards, there is a high-tech screen to write on, which can immediately turn even the worst handwriting into printed text. I must tell Francis Jacobs (one off my co-authors)!

The EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) scheme appears to have finally caught the imaginination in the UK.

Last year, Yorkshire’s Wensleydale cheese began a campaign for the recognition the likes of champagne, parma ham, roquefort and Gorgonzola have already won.

Earlier this month Wensleydale progressed to the next stage of their campaign by taking 14,000 signatures of support (including mine) to the House of Commons in a bid to win the backing it needs from Defra before taking its case to Europe.

Now Yorkshire’s famous rhubarb triangle is aiming for PDO status. The area between Leeds, Pontefract and Wakefield was once responsible for over 90% of the world's rhubarb, which is renown for its forced growth in the dark and its subsequent sweeter, longer stalks (for more on how the rhubarb is grown click here and here).

Both rhubarb and Wensleydale cheese fully deserve to be recognised with a PDO, as they are unique products that only specific parts of Yorkshire can produce and should be protected from poor quality imitators.

Readers with a good memory might remember that the manafacturers of Yorkshire Feta, had to change their name after Greek feta was awarded a PDO. Shepherds Purse have settled on a new name, Fine Fettle Yorkshire, which will be available again from May.

I was pleased to see the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC) which heralds new opportunities for both the European Union and Yorkshire region.

With a budget of 7.5 billion euros (£5billion) to 2013, the Council aims to aid scientific research across Europe to promote excellence and improve the EU’s economic position on the world scale. The ERC will provide opportunities for promising up-coming researchers and anticipates that the quality of scientific research will improve, leading to new products and services.

The announcement of this funding is particularly good news for the Yorkshire region which boasts excellent scientific research units at Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and York universities.

The BBC quote Gill Wells, the head of non-commercial and European research development at the University of Sheffield, who predicts that the ERC grants will be highly competitive while the university has already established an administrative structure to encourage researchers to launch investigative teams.

The ERC is exciting news for the whole of Europe, but especially our region, which should benefit from the development of young research panels and a sharp increase in opportunities for funding.

Well done to Calderdale's newest councillor, Judith Gannon, and everybody who helped Labour hold the Illingworth and Mixenden ward in Thursday's by-election.

With the two other seats in the ward held by the BNP it was imperative Labour held on to the seat which was long held by Tom McElroy, who
sadly died in December.

Judith picked up 1104 votes with the BNP beating the Conservatives and Lib Dems into second, though thankfully the far-right party did concede a swing of fiver percent to Labour.

Hopefully we can keep this momentum going in Halifax and unseat the BNP Councillors come May.

Bradford Council yesterday launched a booklet celebrating the city’s achievements with the European Union money it was granted through its Objective 2 status.

Between 2000 and 2006 Bradford received £47million which it spent on 195 different projects, helping to regenerate some of the most deprived parts of the city.

What the Objective 2 team in Bradford has done so well is to identify exactly what the city needs and then help provide it. One example is Bradford Youthbuild Trust, which has used its European grant to redevelop its training centre and now provides young people with comprehensive training in the construction industry and the city with highly skilled youngsters.

There is also the University of Bradford’s Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, that not only researches new techniques and treatments into cancer but also promotes high-technology start-up companies with its excellent facilities, leading to more employment opportunities in the city and attracting new businesses.

It is impossible to do justice to just how much European funding has benefited Bradford but the Telegraph and Argus do a good job and I would also highly recommend getting hold of the booklet, which is called European Impact. If you would like a copy please email my office at richard@richardcorbett.org.uk.

Of course it is not just Bradford which has benefited from the European Regional Development Fund in Yorkshire and the Humber. The communities of Hull, North East Lincolnshire, Wakefield, Kirklees (Objective 2) and South Yorkshire (Objective 1) have also seen just how crucial the ERDF is and how it gives businesses and individuals opportunities to develop, which were previously inaccessible.

Saturday’s European Policy Forum in Sheffield was a great success with over 100 people in attendance and everything from the Tinsley towers to climate change in Kenya discussed.

The forum gives myself and my colleague Linda McAvan MEP the chance to report back about our work in the Parliament and what we achieved over the last year.

Two other themes of this year’s event were multiculturalism and migration with Dutch MEP Jan Marinus Wiersma speaking about the former and TUC Regional Secretary Bill Adams talking about the latter.

Like the UK, Holland is in a debate about multiculturalism, which became highly charged following the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a religious fundamentalist, and Jan Marinus stressed how dangerous the current, narrow, media-spun view of Islam is. Yet, positive role models, like PSV Eindhoven football player Ismaïl Aissati are helping Holland understand and talk about Islam away from the stereotypes that so normally abound.

The afternoon then focused on migration with Linda's researcher, Chris Read, offering a plethora of statistics which gave an illuminating portratit of the current situation in the UK.

Of the eastern-European migrants that have come to the UK, 82 per cent are aged between 18 and 34 with 93 per cent arriving with no dependents. The most common statistic banded about by the media is that there is thought to be 600,000 migrants from eastern-European EU countries in the UK but one example of how statistics can be misleading is the fact that those leaving are not even counted!

Most worrying though is the fact that 78 per cent only earn between £4.50 (which is of course well below the minimum wage) and £5.99 an hour.

Bill Adams then concentrated on the problems some eastern-European immigrants have suffered and left much of the room shocked at the levels of exploitation by unscrupulous employers occurring in this country.

One of many horror stories featured an agency which charged so much money for signing-on fees, administration and rent (for a bed in a room with up to eight others) that some workers were left with a big fat zero in their pay packet. Not wanting to miss another insidious trick the agency then offered the exploited workers loans with exorbitant interest rates. Other agencies have been telling workers that joining a trade union is illegal.

As I have mentioned before on the blog the trade unions are aware of the problems and have taken the lead to inform migrants and British workers about their rights.

But these incidents also show why we need to agree on the proposed EU Temporary Agency Directive, which has been held up for some time by deadlock between governments in the EU Council of Ministers. It's high time for movement on this issue!

Paul Sykes has accepted my challenge to a public debate between him and me on the UK’s relationship with the rest of Europe.

This is much needed to re-balance his highly tendacious set of allegations that feature in newspapers across Britain yesterday when he launched his Eurosceptic campaign with adverts in many of the national papers. The Telegraph included a full page ad, with a half page in The Times, and quarter pages in the Mail, Express and Sun. Locally the Yorkshire Post had a full page ad with the Yorkshire Evening Post a half. Whether this is replicated across the country remains to be seen, but in any case it must have cost a fortune.

His advertisements make absurd claims, that I commented on in my blog last Tuesday (October 10). But to try to back them up, he quotes two opinion polls which he himself commissioned and which, unsurprisingly, comes up with results that he hopes will cause people to swallow his arguments.

The poll, conducted for him by YouGov, says that 87 per cent of people want a referendum on the EU’s powers. His full question is “Some people have called for a referendum on whether powers over fishing, farming, rules and regulations, law-making and borders being returned to the British Parliament from the European Union. Would you support or oppose a campaign to hold such a referendum?”

It is a well known feature of polls that a question “Do you think there should be a referendum on X [insert issue of choice]” tend to produce large majorities in favour, which inevitably gives Sykes the result he wants. On top of that, there is plenty of ambiguity in “rules and regulations, law-making and borders” - all rather loose descriptions, left open to interpretation. Of course, the fact that the British Parliament has anyway not relinquished powers over such matters, but simply agreed that Britain should act jointly with neighbouring countries on those aspects where we are interdependent, does not feature in his loaded question. Nor does he specify that there is more than one parliament involved: the European Parliament, (and, come to that, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly) exercise scrutiny and rights to approve or not legislation adopted at their level – and it is the British Parliament that has determined which level is appropriate. It is also worth pointing out that 87 per cent of people support calls for a referendum and not the “return of powers”.

The same goes for the second questions in his poll – how much information have you received in the last 12 months from your MP or MEP about the European Union? Ninety five per cent have heard nothing or very little but again we don’t actually learn anyone’s views on Europe.

Sykes's whole campaign, along with the second question, implies that people are not properly informed about the European Union, which is true – but this suggests a lot of the answers to the first question will have been given using only the ambiguous knowledge they have gained from reading the question itself.

The latter question is also, intentionally or not, begging a very different question. If you replaced the “European Union” with almost any other subject you would get the same response. Unfortunately MPs and especially MEPs do have the money to contact each constituent every year – it is simply not in their budget.

I have around five million constituents in Yorkshire and the Humber and as much as I would like to keep all of them individually and directly informed about the European Union, it is simply not possible. I have to hope that the media will give me some unbiased coverage. I certainly cannot pay for a particular standpoint to be given blanket space in the way that Mr Sykes can! According to the Newspaper Marketing Agency, the cost for his ad in the Telegraph alone will have cost £45,000.

This is why I am glad Sykes has agreed to debate the issues with me. There is no way pro-Europeans can compete on a par with Sykes’s campaign financially but I know when I meet him head on I will have facts behind me rather than myth.

As to not hearing from your MEP, if you would like to hear from me four times a year you can sign up to my mailing list for my quarterly report, which will give you regular information on the EU, by emailing richard@richardcorbett.org.uk. You may also find interesting items on my modest website www.richardcorbett.org.uk.

The Daily Telegraph has revealed that Yorkshire millionaire Paul Sykes intends to spend £10million on a new Eurosceptic campaign which will be, according to him “an outbreak of truth”.

The “Speak Out” campaign will include a call centre, a website, adverts in national newspapers and a letter to every single household in Britain, with the intention of breaking the “conspiracy of silence” over Europe.

Apart from the disappointment of finding out Mr Sykes isn’t an avid reader of this blog – I’m not known for my reticence to discuss European issues – this is worrying news.

I too, would like the European debate to feature more prominently in this country but a debate is not what Mr Sykes has in mind. As the Telegraph explains, Speak Out accuses the government of surrendering to an “undemocratic and unaccountable” Brussels and reveals that the advertisements will include the following:

“Our MPs have betrayed us. They have given away powers that were not theirs to give. More than half our laws — some people say as much as 80 per cent — originate not in the debating chambers of our elected Parliament but behind closed doors in Brussels."

Despite the considerable wedge Sykes has thrown at this project, he has presumably not budgeted for basic research. If he had the House of Commons library will have told him that only nine percent of UK law originates from the European Union.

And of course, legislation from "Brussels" is in fact adopted by ministers from elected national governments in the Council and elected MEPs in the Parliament, which amounts to a double dose of democratic scrutiny. And not "behind closed doors" - the European Parliament has always met in public (including all its committees, unlike Westminster) and the Council does too now.

Somehow I doubt Mr Sykes will be correcting his advertisements in time for next Monday’s launch of Speak Out. Instead every single household in the country will presumably receive deliberately misleading mail-shots railing against the European Union.

Hardly an outbreak of truth!

For some time, the European Union has had a firm commitment to medical research, and with some of the finest research scientists in the world, the United Kingdom was always going to benefit.

The EU has given a grant of £8m to Sheffield University to advance knowledge of stem cells and their potential.

As you may know, stem cells, when taken from an embryo, can be directed to grow into any part of the body, from bones to the brain. This technique could, in theory, be developed in to a new form of regenerative medicine which could cure a wide variety of diseases and disabilities.

I understand that this research is seen as controversial, and that is exactly why we need the tight regulations and ethical control placed upon it, but with this technology lives really can be saved and improved beyond measure – and Yorkshire scientists will be at the very heart of it.

British Sugar’s decision to close its factory in York down is obviously a blow to the region and particularly unwelcome to those who will be made redundant.

However, many people have been quick to blame the EU and the Common Agricultural Policy for the closure but as David Wilmott-Smith pointed out, in a letter to the Yorkshire Post, this is wide of the mark.

Godfrey Bloom and other opponents of the EU have consistently complained about surplus farm products as a consequence of high quotas yet, when the cuts are made - as they demanded - they are the first to condemn them.

The Common Agricultural Policy is problematic but it is an issue the EU is working hard to reform. To criticise the EU for making changes long called for is both hypocritical and insincere.

The Yorkshire Post has launched a campaign to have Wensleydale cheese given Protected Designation of Origin status by the EU. If awarded a PDO, Wensleydale will be afforded the same protection that the likes of champagne, parma ham and feta cheese currently enjoy. This means imitations would not be able to call themselves by the same name, indeed only cheese produced in Wensleydale could call itself Wensleydale.

You can read more about the benefits of a PDO and what it would do for Wensleydale cheese by reading the Yorkshire Post’s articles here.

As a country, and in particular a county, we have been slow to catch on to the benefits that the PDO offers, with France and Italy having hundreds more products protected than Britian. This is a very worthwhile campaign and one you can show your support of by signing the Yorkshire Post’s online petition here.

My letter to UEFA has caused quite a stir in the local media. Within five minutes of a press release being sent out, Radio Leeds were on the phone asking for an interview. As I was was on holiday I ended up speaking to them live on air from a remote beach on a nuture reserve in Sicily.

More radio interviews followed with the BBC website, teletext and the YEP devoting space (and pictures) to the story. Plenty of unofficial Leeds United websites also covered it, including one in the Czech Republic!

I have also received a variety of letters, many offering me support and thanking me, while a couple accused me of wasting tax-payers money by focussing on an insignifcant issue.

In the wider scale of things the issue is clearly insignificant but I wrote the letter on the beach (Blackberrys can be very useful) on my holiday. So, the real cost to the taxpayer was the price of a postage stamp. I think that most people would agree that 44p spent opposing corruption in sport is hardly excessive!

Equally irritating and illuminating, is the fact that this story earned such news coverage. Even a quick peak at my website illustrates the different subjects I have spent far more time working on over the past year. Yet, whether it is helping to make the EU more efficient, consumer protection, the environment, education or a myriad of other matters none are given anywhere near the media coverage a minor story about football receives!

I have written to UEFA’s Chief Executive, Lars-Christer Olsson, to protest against the decision to allow A.C.Milan to play in this season’s European Champions League.

Milan, along with Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina were found guilty by the Italian Football Federation (IFF) of fixing or attempting to fix the outcome of games during the past two seasons. All were banned from competing in Europe but on appeal the IFF allowed Milan entry to compete in the Champions League, despite finding their actions severe enough to warrant a Serie A points deduction.

Milan will start the 2006/2007 Serie A season with minus eight points but with UEFA refusing to ban them from Europe because of an "insufficient legal basis in the regulations", they will effectively escape any punishment. (And, with Fiorentina and Lazio deducted 19 and 11 points respectively and Juventus relegated, Milan’s path to the next season's Champions League as well, has in fact been made easier).

The Italian Football Federation have also rightly stripped Juventus of their past two Serie A titles and this is something I have urged UEFA to take great heed of. UEFA should ensure that at European level too, if a club is found guilty of match fixing, then they should lose any honours they won during the corrupt period.

This is not the first occasion Italian clubs have been involved in match fixing (indeed, A.C. Milan were relegated in 1980 for their part in a bribery scandal) and it instantly brought back memories of some deeply suspicious results English teams have suffered. The one which sticks in my mind most is Leeds’ defeat to A.C. Milan in the 1973 Cup Winners’ Cup final, where the referee, Christos Michas, performed so dubiously he was suspended for life!

UEFA can show they take any form of corruption in the game seriously by stripping clubs of trophies won thanks to match fixing. Such action would dramatically demonstrate a commitment to fair play and help restore faith in UEFA as a strong but fair governing body. And it is never too late to correct an injustice: if Milan did indeed bribe the referee in that match, then the winners medals should belatedly be given to Peter Lorimer and his Leeds team-mates.

I also think that the lenient treatment of the Italian clubs is in striking contrast with the five-year long ban UEFA imposed on all English clubs following the Heysel disaster in 1985. There was no talk then of an “insufficient legal basis in the regulations” impeding vigorous UEFA action! Furthermore, the ban was imposed because of the actions of hooligans that took place despite the efforts of the clubs involved, not because of them as is the case now where the clubs themselves have been found guilty. And the ban on English clubs included those who had no history of hooliganism.

It’s certainly an issue that has brought up a lot of questions and I will let you know if UEFA provide me with any answers.

You can read the letter I sent to UEFA by clicking here.

There is little doubt the summer is well and truly here. The sun is swelteringly hot here in Yorkshire and along with school children, the Parliament has broken up for recess.

I have yet to take a holiday and have so far used the break from Brussels to get around Yorkshire and see some of my constituents, including a very hot day campaigning for a Calderdale Council by-election.

With the vast majority of Britons taking their holidays within the EU (74 per cent of British holidays abroad are taken in just eight EU countries) the summer provides a timely reminder of the benefits membership brings.

Most recently the EU has made moves to reduce the cost of using a mobile phone in other member states, while it has helped ensure sun lovers know whether their suncream protects them from skin cancer as well as sunburn.

It is also important to remember that European legislation gives every worker in the EU, including temporary and part-time employees, 20 days paid holiday each year.

The EU’s blue flag quality standard has driven up the standard of beach cleanliness across the continent and means the majority of resorts, particularly in Britain, are now safe and a pleasure to swim in.

The European Health Insurance Card means all EU citizens are eligible for free emergency health care within member states. In also means we no longer have to fill in an E111 form every time we wish to travel within the EU.

Providing they meet strict health and safety criteria, pet passports mean dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and hamsters can all join you on your holiday in the EU without the need for quarantine.

What’s more, freedom of movement laws mean that if you like where you’ve been in the EU you are free to stay!

I read a lot of newspapers. Staying in touch with the UK and particularly Yorkshire and the Humber is an important part of my job. Every MEP worth their salt does the same.

You put up with the fact that many papers are right leaning and you even get used to reading the outrageous Euromyths conjured from the darkest recesses of a journalist’s imagination.

But sometimes, not often, but sometimes you read an article that is so dispiriting you despair.

The cause for my ire today is an unsavoury column by Bill Carmichael that tells us of his travails in getting a passport for his children.

He writes: “Naturally the passport office rejected our application… You have to laugh. Is this the same country where any terrorist, rapist, child abuser, or killer who has jumped off the back of a lorry five minutes ago is immediately offered a national insurance number, a council house and benefits beyond the dreams of avarice?”

The reason his application was rejected, he admits, was because the photos he provided were signed by a neighbour rather than a person of standing in the community.

Yet the quote reproduced above is clearly implying that too many passports and national insurances numbers are given out, so why the diatribe when passport officials do their jobs properly?

Perhaps the most high profile vote in the Strasbourg session this week was on funding for scientific research across Europe.

At first glance this may seem a fairly straight forward issue but it became a deeply contentious one because of the proposal to offer financial backing to stem cell research.

Despite the controversy surrounding research in this field I, and the Labour MEPs as a group, felt it was important to vote in favour of the proposal.

Stem cell research offers hope to people suffering from the likes of Alzheimer’s, cancer and Parkinson’s, all terrible diseases which we must do our utmost to discover new or improved treatments for.

Europe’s tight regulations and strict ethical codes mean that it is better for the research to take place here rather than countries with less stringent rules.

It is also good news for Yorkshire and the Humber. The University of Sheffield’s Centre for Stem Cell Biology has been at the forefront of these experiments, with scientists having already made a breakthrough on IVF treatment.

In general, British universities claim 20 per cent of all research money allocated by the European Union and with Sheffield, Leeds, York, Hull, Bradford and Huddersfield all hosting excellent universities the Parliament’s vote is great news for them too.

Click here for more details on the University of Sheffield's breakthrough on IVF treatment.

One of the most satisfying results of this week’s Strasbourg session is the decision to crack down on misleading food labels.

Food companies can currently make claims on their labels which lack any real scientific basis and profess to be far healthier than they really are. For instance, a bag of crisps can be emblazoned with “low in salt” but still contain unhealthy levels of fat.

Now, under the new legislation passed by the European Parliament, food will have to meet certain criteria before it can make a claim such as “low in fat”. Food that is unhealthy in any aspect will not be able to brand itself as a healthy option, even if it does have low levels of one nutrient. Food manufacturers will also have to prove any health claims they make about their products.

With the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that one in every eight children in Leeds is obese it is clear something needs to be done to combat this problem.

More truthful food labels may only play a small part in creating a healthier society but it is a step in the right direction. Now that manufacturers will be forced to print only facts on their labels consumers can at least make an informed decision about a product.

I hear Belfast International Airport is to be renamed after George Best, following the trend set originally by JFK (New York) and continued by other airports like John Lennon (Liverpool) and Robin Hood (Doncaster).

As a regular user of Leeds-Bradford I have been wondering if they too will follow suit, and if they do what it will be called?

Leeds legend John Charles would be the obvious choice if you were to name it after a sportsman but I can’t imagine many Bradford fans would be happy with this. Could I one day really fly into the Dean Windass International Airport?

There is one internationally renown name that falls neatly between Leeds and Bradford, and right on the airport’s doorstep. Guiseley paid host to the very first, and now a very famous, chip shop owned by Harry Ramsden. Surely not?

It’s been a fascinating 24 hours.

The Labour Party has suffered losses across the country but I am delighted that Labour support across Yorkshire has remained strong.

Given the national coverage of the local election results, allow me to contrast the quite different regional results in Yorkshire:

Seats (gains & losses)
•Lab net gain of 10 seats across region.
•Lib Dem net loss of seven (underline loss)
•Cons net loss of five (underline loss)
•BNP net gain of only one
•Greens net gain of one


Share of Vote
•Increase in Labour share of vote across region (2004 30% /2006 31.1%)
•Lib Dem share of vote has declined (2004 26.2% /2006 24.6%)
•Con share of vote up by 8% overall (mainly in Craven and Harrogate)
•Lab net gains in Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Doncaster, Barnsley
and Rotherham

BNP
•Stood 106 candidates in the region (82 in West Yorkshire)
•Gained 4, lost 3 (held 1)
•Won none in South, East or North Yorkshire, nor in Wakefield
•Their gains were from us (Dewsbury East), the Lib Dems (Heckmondwike),the Independents (Morley South) and the Tories (Queensbury in Bradford)
•Their losses were to us (Town in Calderdale and Wibsey in Bradford) and the Tories (Worth Valley in Bradford)
•They increased their overall share of vote from 6.6% to 7.3%

So at least in Yorkshire, the picture is quite good for Labour. I’d like to pay tribute to all the candidates and activists across the region who have worked so hard for their local communities. It is of real credit to Labour activists that, despite some turbulent times, we had a net gain of 10 seats as well as increasing our share of the vote across the region.

In this age of high media it is only to be expected that national issues should affect the local vote. I have no doubt that some extremely competent, hard-working Labour Councillors have lost their positions due to the national issues.

Concerning the cabinet re-shuffle, I’d like to specifically welcome Geoff Hoon’s appointment to the position of Minister of State for Europe. As a former MEP, Geoff is very well placed to work on developing the UK’s role in the European Union.

I believe that appointment is a step towards having a Europe Minister separate from the Foreign Office. EU matters are much more concerned with domestic policy than with foreign policy, and it is not always sensible for them to be co-ordinated by the foreign office.

What a result! I’d like to offer my warmest congratulations to Angela Sinfield of Bradford District Council for winning yesterdays by-election in Keighley West.
Angela not only overturned a BNP majority, but she now has her own majority of 603, gaining 1819 votes to their 1216.

This is a fantastic achievement. The BNP have concentrated their efforts in Keighley for some time, using aggressive, intimidatory tactics to frighten people into voting for them.

I visited Keighley twice during the campaign and was struck by how determined the community was to drive the BNP out. There was a sense of real anger from the electors that the BNP had damaged the reputation of Keighley. As Angela said last night, “The BNP need to get the message and realise that they are not welcome in Keighley”.

Lets hope those sentiments are shared across the country in May’s Local Government Elections.

You can find BBC coverage here -

The by-election phenomena is a curious thing (as some of you will know, the resignation of a BNP Councillor in Keighley West has triggered a by-election for Thursday 23rd March). When you’re out campaigning it can seem like nothing exists beyond the ward boundary. When it’s a BNP-held seat, however, it becomes a different story. Their beliefs are so extreme that the whole country should pay attention. If we don’t stamp out the far right’s presence in our region, then we become vulnerable to widespread preaching of hate.

I spent much of today talking to local residents in Keighley West (on one of the coldest days of the winter I might add!), and was delighted to see how many people were making a stand against the BNP. Undoubtedly there is a media backlash against the Labour Party at the moment, but it is imperative that those people who believe in equality, diversity and community all vote for Labour in this two-horse race and reject the far right, non-sensical policies of the BNP.

There have been many reports of the BNP using intimidatory tactics on the doorstep: you don’t have to put up with it, as one constituent quickly learnt. When I asked him if he had had such a visit, he pointed to his fully grown Doberman and laughed. I think he’ll be just fine.

Many people like to use breaks from work to travel abroad. Since I spend most of the year doing that, however, it was nice this month to spend some time with the family at home in Yorkshire, complemented by occasional forays to the Lake District.

It was particularly good to be able to explore the region at a more relaxed pace than that which MEPs are usually forced to adopt when they’re working, due to the vast size of their constituencies. The weather has also been wonderful, and I’ve ended up at least as tanned as those people who’ve flown to Spain at great expense!

Anyway, MEPs are back to work today (despite it being a bank holiday in the UK!). Without wishing to make too much of a meal of this point, our summer recess is a whopping five weeks shorter than Westminster's…

Following yesterday's vote on software patents, I've now had a total of 36 e-mails into my Leeds office from constituents expressing their delight at the way we voted in Parliament. I can't remember having ever received such a message of support about any single issue before - just as I can't remember ever having received so much lobbying from private individuals in advance of a vote.

A particularly enthusiastic e-mail made me smile:

"Dear Richard,

"What can I say? This is truly marvellous news - and with such a majority! I am so delighted I can't quite express myself properly! Thank you so very, very much for notifying me of the outcome and for voting against the software patent madness.

"Through having to face up to the threat that this proposal posed, I have gained a better insight into the political machinations of the European Parliament. More importantly, I have greater respect for the elected individuals that comprise the European Parliament, and also for the power of the individual in lobbying for change.

"What more can I say?"

Another constituent, who represents a Linux users' group in Scarborough, wrote to let me know that he'd blogged the result, and seemed to be quite enthusiastic about it:

Fantastically, awesomely, tearfully, happily, wonderfully, we appear to have won the software patents argument. I got this at 12:07 today from Richard Corbett… How absolutely fantastic is that! The people won over the corporation.

Shortly after 11am (UK time) today, we rejected a proposed law on the patenting of software by a huge majority. This proposal is now dead.

I've received more e-mails, letters and calls on the issue of software patents than on any other issue in recent times. I'm immensely grateful to the hundreds of constituents who have taken the time to explain their views to me.

Labour colleagues and I have taken on board their advice and rejected this proposal, so my thanks go out to constituents for their participation in good lawmaking.

More information here.

While sitting in a meeting earlier this week, I observed that some organisations just can't do anything these days without first hiring a consultancy to research the options.

And then I picked up this snippet in the Yorkshire Evening Post:

"Men from Leeds wash their cars for longer than anyone else in the country. Research commissioned by Flash Car Wash showed one in three Leeds men will spend over two hours cleaning their car."

There's been some coverage in our regional papers (both the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post) of a debate about whether feta cheese has to come from Greece in order to be called 'feta'. But there's precious little information provided in the articles in order for readers to get a handle on the story - so here's some background.

The ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ scheme is an agreement among all EU countries to identify and protect certain unique local foods across the European common market. As with all EU decisions, the scheme was agreed by elected governments and elected MEPs – not by the Commission, whose job is only to carry out the agreement.

Many UK products are protected in this way – including West Country farmhouse cheddar, Jersey Royal potatoes, and Cornish clotted cream. You can buy a bottle of Newcastle Brown anywhere in Europe and be confident that it really was brewed in Newcastle. The same goes for Normandy camembert, Black Forest ham and so on.

There's currently a debate about whether Greek ‘feta’ cheese should be added to the list of specialities. Britain isn't the only country which thinks ‘feta’ is more of a generic term these days: both Germany and Denmark have also asked the courts to adjudicate, and a judgement is expected later this year. So it's not a feta-ccompli.