Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
Labour MEPs Linda McAvan and Richard Corbett have strongly condemned the UK government’s mishandling of the crisis facing the steel industry following the announcement of 900 job losses in Scunthorpe today. Linda said: The fate of the British steel industry must be a priority for David Cameron in light of the talks with Chinese President […]
Britain needs independent voices from business, politics and civil society to speak out about the benefits of being part of the European Union. But a worrying trend has emerged. Instead of engaging with these arguments, eurosceptics are ruthlessly focused on trying to close down debate. They do this either by claiming that nobody except them […]
I told Labour’s annual conference: “The referendum is not on Cameron’s reforms. The referendum is on the much bigger question of our very membership of the European Union.”
During the much needed recent reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (reform which even Greenpeace hailed as a great success), several British businesses made the case that more sustainable fishing practices ensure the viability of their industries. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s now-famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea was a […]
David Cameron told Andrew Marr on Sunday [pdf] that he “cannot rule out campaigning to leave if he cannot secure his goals”. Up to now, most pundits would have considered that to be rhetoric, assuming that he will come back from a meeting on Brussels proclaiming that his goals have been secured and duly campaign […]
The venom with which various ‘Out’ campaigners (Nigel Farage, Nigel Lawson, Arron Banks) have attacked each other over the last few days tells you a lot about what sort of politicians they are — more interested in how the referendum campaign can enhance (or shore up) their profiles than anything else. But there is an […]
A short debate on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight programme about migration, and the democratic structures that underpin the EU.
This article was originally published on Labour List. Like Britain, the EU isn’t perfect. Political battles need to be fought at European level, just as at national level, to change things. But our economic and environmental interdependence with our neighbouring countries makes such battles at European level vital – and the idea of opting out […]
Question Does Denmark (or do Danish citizens) have any legal obligation under EC law or under the Berne Convention to refrain from participating in, or helping in any way, the killing of cetaceans, and is there any legal obligation on the 86% of the people of the Faroe Island who have chosen to hold a […]
Following Jeremy Corbyn’s comprehensive victory in the Labour leadership election, speculation is rife about his views on the European Union. I, for one, am optimistic that he will make good on the pledge he made during his election campaign: Labour should set out its own clear position to influence negotiations, working with our European allies […]
Question Have the Faroe islands continued to export products to Russia that fall under the EU embargo? Has the Commission or the Danish Government taken this up with the Faroese authorities? Answer The Faroe Islands, which are autonomous in their trade policy, have distanced themselves from the restrictive measures adopted by the EU and likeminded […]
The European Parliament voted today for a more rigorous process of confirmation hearings for Commissioners, giving MEPs more power to cross-examine nominees. The proposals from the European Parliament constitutional affairs committee, in a report authored by Labour MEP Richard Corbett, include allowing follow-up questions in the event of non-answers; second hearings in case the answers […]
I spoke briefly in the European Parliament about the refugee crisis in Europe and how it can be addressed.
The public debate about migration in the UK has been poisoned, and that poison is killing people. The endless campaign by our right-wing press to hammer xenophobic prejudices into the minds of decent people has seized on an innocent umbrella term, ‘migrants’, and twisted it into an epithet of condemnation. The word ‘migrant’ doesn’t describe […]
I spoke in Parliament to introduce a package of reforms to the way Commissioner candidates are approved by MEPs in future.
In the future, EU governments should present one male and one female candidate to the post of Commissioner in order to enable the President of the Commission to ensure gender balance in the European Commission. This is one of the key recommendations of a resolution drafted by Labour MEP Richard Corbett and approved today by […]
Amid all the debate about what reforms we should want in the EU, it’s as well to remember that there are some things we do quite well at European level — and even a few that we do much better than back home in our individual countries! One example is the way we vet our […]
European countries are discussing whether to adopt a single policy on farm animal cloning for the single market. Since all EU laws need the approval both of national ministers and elected MEPs, the European Parliament will be voting next week on a proposal to ban the cloning of farm animals. Labour MEPs are of the […]
With several news outlets reporting this morning that Cameron is rethinking his plan to attack workers’ rights, Labour has made its position clear: It was never going to be a good idea to try to build support for the EU based on a bonfire of workers’ rights. Strong economies should have decent rights for people […]
Question Section 104(a)(2) of the US Trade Act of 2015, signed into law by President Obama on 29 June, provides that the US Trade Representative shall consult the US Congress before the ratification of any trade agreement, and keep Congress ‘fully apprised of the measures a trading partner has taken to comply with those provisions […]
I spent part of the summer in the USA, where I had meetings with members of Congress in Washington. One of the main subjects we discussed was, of course, the ongoing negotiations for a transatlantic trade deal known as TTIP. I also met the US negotiators and the EU’s ambassador to the USA. It was […]
LabourList have published an extended essay of mine about the current economic situation. Across Europe – from Spain to Scotland, from the Labour leadership contest to the situation in Greece – this is turning into a central political question. No party of the left can support savage cuts to essential benefits, nor to vital investments […]
The rhetoric: “[Ever-closer union] may appeal to some countries. But it is not right for Britain, and we must ensure we are no longer subject to it.” The reality: “The concept of ‘ever-closer union’ allows for different paths of integration for different countries, allowing those that want to deepen integration to move ahead, while respecting […]
It’s a pleasure to receive well-argued representations from constituents on genuine issues. Here is one such message I received recently from Millie Hall of East Yorkshire, on the subject of whaling by Faroese people. I expect you are aware of the continued whaling in the Faroe Islands as pictures hit the media recently when around […]
