Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
I contributed to a collected article published by LSE on MEPs’ views about the UK referendum. The role of the European Parliament in the UK’s renegotiation saga could be crucial or minor — depending on how the talks go — and in the ultimate case of an eventual Brexit, decisive as regards the terms and […]
David Cameron meets today with other presidents and prime ministers to try to secure agreement on his so-called “renegotiation” demands. Meanwhile, in Brussels, Jeremy Corbyn has delivered a resounding address to the assembled leaders of Socialist and Democrat parties from across Europe (including prime ministers attending the summit) on what genuine EU reform ought to look like: Labour backs Britain’s continued […]
The recently relaunched ‘Labour Leave’ pressure group faces an uphill struggle. Its fundamental problem is that its name is a misnomer. This group no more represents Labour on Europe than the handful of MPs who rebelled over same-sex marriage in 2012 represented Labour on equality. In fact, the Labour party is squarely and unambiguously pro-European. […]
Question What more can be done to ensure that European ships do not participate in illegal fishing activities outside the EU through the use of ‘flags of convenience’? What can be done to prevent such European ships from participating in illegal fishing activities on the Somalian coast, and what is being done to ensure that […]
I sent this letter to the editor of the Daily Telegraph today. Dear Editor, You list “a democratic deficit, economic stagnation and chronic failure over mass migration” as the failures of the EU (Telegraph View, 10 Dec). But are they? “Democratic deficit” trips nicely off the tongue. But it would beggar belief that 28 democracies […]
Which would you rather have: a real-life reform that makes things easier for consumers and gives small business startups a big boost… or a cosmetic change to the preamble of a treaty that makes no difference to anyone or anything? While Cameron and his eurosceptic backbenchers are fretting over the precise wording of a forty-year-old […]
Question Has the Commission given consideration to revising daylight saving time, and would it be willing to propose having an equal number of days before and after the winter solstice of 21 December? Does it agree that there are strong arguments for revising daylight saving time? Health and safety: citizens would have extra daylight in […]
The Guardian reports today that Cameron is still hoping for a quick deal on his reform demands in this month’s EU leaders’ summit. Will he get it? It depends on how demanding he is. And that in turn may depend less on his assessment of what is genuinely desirable, and more on what his backbenchers […]
Labour’s campaign to keep Britain in the European Union launches today. One question that might spring to mind is why Labour even needs a campaign of its own. After all, there’s already a vibrant and fast-growing cross-party campaign, Stronger In, which is doing a great job. There are three reasons why we’ve decided to have […]
One of the most striking changes in Britain over the last half-century has been the ever greater tilt in economic activity towards London and the south-east. Attempts to counter it through regional aid, regional development agencies and now the so-called ‘northern powerhouse‘ have failed to stem the tide. On the contrary, the trend has accelerated. […]
I started the week by joining GMB and Unite — and steel workers from across Europe — in a rally outside the emergency meeting of national governments (at which the UK’s Business Secretary Sajid Javid was present), called to discuss Europe’s steel industry crisis. Five CEOs of steel companies were invited to an informal dinner with […]
Last year, I annotated one of Cameron’s speeches in an admittedly mischievous attempt to bring out the hidden truths behind some of his rhetoric. Since Cameron made another major speech about Europe this morning, intended to give a high profile to his recent letter to European Council president Donald Tusk, I thought the letter might benefit from the […]
A short piece I wrote a few weeks ago about Cameron’s plans to limit EU migration has just been published by Progress magazine: What does the government claim it wants to do? European Union freedom of movement, enshrined in the EU treaties, was not on David Cameron’s initial list of demands, but later became a […]
Labour MEPs have demanded urgent EU action on the steel crisis at an emergency meeting of ministers tonight. Labour MEPs, together with trade unionists from GMB and Unite, held a rally outside the European Commission ahead of the meeting, calling on business secretary Sajid Javid and fellow EU ministers to come up with measures to […]
I recently wrote about whaling by Faroese people, after a constituent from Millie Hall in East Yorkshire brought the subject to my attention. The Faroe islands (being outside the EU) not only have an exemption from the rules agreed by all EU countries banning whaling, but they also have secured exemptions from the Convention on […]
Question Given that recreational fishing is now included in the common fisheries policy through both the control regulations and the TAC/quota regulations (specifically through the new minimum conservation reference sizes and the bag limit for sea bass), does the Commission therefore believe that the scope of Article 17 of the common fisheries policy should extend […]
I’ve received some 500 messages in recent weeks about the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Negotiations between the EU and Canada were launched in 2009, and a provisional agreement was reached in 2014. The text is now undergoing ‘legal scrubbing’, a technical […]
This week I’ve been contacted by a large number of constituents concerned about excessive speculation on food commodities, and the impact this has on the cost of food for some of the poorest people in the world. Labour MEPs have made fighting this kind of excessive speculation a priority in recent years. The Markets in […]
The Out Campaign have been preparing for the EU referendum for many years. They have UKIP donors funding them and are using that money to get their message out far and wide. Unlike them, the Stronger IN campaign is starting from scratch. It needs as many supporters as possible. To support the Stronger IN campaign […]
I met recently with the public affairs manager at Yorkshire Water, who wanted to talk to me about the impact of European legislation on the water industry. His account was entirely positive. According to Yorkshire Water, Europe-wide agreements on environmental standards for rivers, drinking water and bathing water all continue to steer investment for the […]
A parliamentary vote on the EU 2015 budget contained an amendment which proposed to exclude activities related to breeding bulls for bullfighting from the direct payments alloted by the Common Agricultural Policy. Labour Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of this amendment both in the committees on agriculture, environment and budgets respectively and […]
My autumn 2015 quarterly report.
I spoke to Sky News about Jean-Claude Juncker’s views on the UK’s place in the EU.
My letter about the EU was the leader in today’s Guardian comments section: Paul Mason relies on tired old cliches – and, bizarrely, his dislike of the Belgian police – to justify his claim that there is no democratic control over the European Union (G2, 19 October). He talks of “vast bureaucratic structures” and “the […]
