Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
Parliaments across Europe, including the House of Commons, have been debating whether to recognise Palestine officially as a state. The European Parliament had a similar debate last month, led by my Labour colleague Richard Howitt, and this week will take a final vote on the matter. A message from Parliament in support of recognising Palestinian […]
There are reports today that some proposed environmental measures put forward by the last Commission might be dropped — particularly those intended to combat air pollution and waste. At this stage, we should take these reports with a pinch of salt. This is an unofficial leak regarding an official announcement which isn’t due till next […]
Paola Buonadonna at British Influence has posted a useful guide on how to challenge bias on BBC, ITV and Sky News. The point of complaining is not to gripe or let off steam. Complaints by people interested in a fair and accurate representation of European issues can affect the tone of the broadcast debate. The […]
I wrote my first article for the UK European Movement since becoming Vice Chair, on the subject of balancing pragmatism and idealism about the European Union. The EU today might appear to be less about inspirational idealism, and more about nitty-gritty pragmatism. And pragmatism is important. But when we focus exclusively on self-interested arguments, we […]
A leaflet about the two Labour MEPs for Yorkshire & Humber.
Question The International Skating Union (ISU) threatens to ban its athletes for life if they participate in speed skating events that are not authorised by the federation. In various other sports, international federations similarly restrict the economic opportunities of European athletes. Aside from the specificities of the ISU ban, how does the Commission view the […]
Question A preliminary study of the CORDIS database for the FP7 programme has shown that many projects with Israeli coordinators had no other partner, no EU partner, or only Israeli partners. Could the Commission clarify how many FP7 projects have Israeli coordinators and how many projects are Israel-only? Answer According to the statistics available on […]
It’s been four years since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall kicked off his now famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea. With the backing of nearly a million Brits and thanks to a firm position of Labour’s MEPs in the European Parliament, the reformed Common Fisheries Policy was finalised last year, hailed […]
Question The Commission will be aware that, earlier this year, Mr Bernie Ecclestone settled a court case, in which he stood accused of bribery, by paying a settlement of GBP 60 million to the court, without the issue of his guilt or innocence being settled. Has the Commission considered whether such a procedure is contrary […]
The most striking feature of Cameron’s much-vaunted speech today is his almost obsessive focus on EU migration. He knows full well that the majority of immigrants arriving in the UK are from outside the EU. And, importantly, we set the rules for non-EU migration at a national level — no need to bring the EU […]
The trajectory of eurosceptic commentary during and after yesterday’s address to Parliament by Pope Francis was truly a wonder to behold. Flicking through UKIP MEPs’ Twitter feeds from yesterday is illuminating in itself. When the Pope arrived at Parliament, he was introduced to the leaders of all the political groups. Cue lots of excitable tweets […]
Richard Corbett, Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire & Humber, has been elected Vice-Chair of the UK-wide European Movement. The vote took place at the organisation’s annual general meeting in London on 22 November and takes place ahead of a planned modernisation and relaunch of the organisation nationally. It means Richard, together with newly-elected […]
I was honoured to be elected Vice Chair of the UK section of the European Movement this weekend. The European Movement is the most venerable pro-European organisation. It was founded at the 1948 Hague Congress presided over by Winston Churchill, bringing together representatives from across the political spectrum, including Konrad Adenauer, Harold Macmillan, Bertrand Russell, […]
Few of the younger MEPs or staff in the European Parliament seem aware of the person after whom the main parliamentary building is named: Altiero Spinelli. I was privileged to attend as a special guest last Monday, the premiere of a film on the life of Spinelli — not a documentary but a historical drama […]
I spoke at the Save the NHS from TTIP rally in Hull on Saturday. It was a well attended event, despite the weather. It’s not that I oppose trade agreements between Europe and America. As a Yorkshire & Humber MEP, I’m well aware of how our small and large manufacturers could benefit from a reduction in American tariffs. But some of the mooted elements of this agreement are unacceptable.
Ed Miliband made an important speech today focusing on how Britain needs to change. The dividing lines between Labour’s values and the priorities of the Tories/UKIP have never been clearer. Throughout his speech, and even more in the extended question-and-answer session afterwards, Ed showed that Labour is not afraid to stand up for truth and […]
Question What is the intention of the new Commission with regard to the follow-up on the study completed at the request of the previous Commission entitled ‘The employment effect of subsidies’ (SOC 94 100018 05A01)? Answer The Commission continuously monitors and analyses the topics examined in the study referred to by the Honourable Member. This […]
Question In a comprehensive assessment of 130 banks, consisting of an asset review (AQR) and a stress test, it was found that some banks had been ‘explicitly non-compliant’ with accounting practices, with some 8% of the total provision increase reported as deriving from a misalignment with accounting standards. Have any sanctions been applied to those […]
Cameron is running out of excuses on migration. Last week, we were told again what we already knew: that EU migrants are a multi-billion-pound benefit to the UK, as well as being less likely to claim benefits, less likely to be out of work, and more highly educated than domestic workers. This week we’ve seen […]
The government’s handling of the vote on opting back in to various EU police and justice cooperation measures was shambolic — and caused entirely by the Conservative party’s civil war on Europe, with the government afraid of its own backbenchers. But at the end of the day, there was an overwhelming majority of 464 to […]
The line coming from Tory party headquarters this afternoon is that Osborne has emerged from a finance ministers’ meeting with a great victory for Britain. The UK’s additional contribution to the EU budget has, he says, been not only delayed but also halved. Well, time to set a few things straight: The supposed ‘reduction’ that […]
An East Yorkshire resident is to be awarded France’s highest decoration for service in the Normandy D-day campaign 70 years ago. Leslie Skelton, of Tickton near Beverly, is to be presented with the Legion d’honneur medal in a special ceremony at the French embassy, London, on the morning of Armistice Day, 11 November this year. […]
Question Hundreds of UK citizens have invested in a complex named Vila Verde on the Cape Verdean Island of Sal. The developer, Tecnicil, was funded by the Portuguese bank Banco Espirito Santo (BES). There were strong safeguards in the contracts to protect the bank’s investment if the project was not completed. Tecnicil has now gone […]
Question Is the Commission aware that UK-based van hire companies typically levy additional charges (sometimes tripling the cost of van hires) when the van is travelling to the EU mainland, whereas continental van hire firms do not increase their charges for vehicles crossing borders? Van hire companies blame the insurance companies, which they claim charge […]
