Richard

Author Archives

  • Screenshot

    Impact assessments and regulation

    I make a short statement in Parliament about the improvements to lawmaking in the new ‘inter-institutional agreement’.

  • Debate screenshot

    Debate with Chris Grayling

    I debated issues related to the UK’s EU membership with Chris Grayling MP, Stephen Fidler of the Wall Street Journal, and Socialist MEP Marc Tarabella.

  • Doorstep EU

    Website updates

    In recent weeks, I’ve been involved in more and more conversations about the UK’s place in the EU — with journalists, constituents, colleagues and political opponents, among others. As the debate intensifies, I continue to use this website and my app, Doorstep EU, to provide useful information and to signpost content elsewhere. Recent updates include: […]

  • courtesy YouTube

    Benn’s five questions

    Tony Benn famously proposed five questions to be asked of anyone who holds power of one kind or another. One of the many organisations to fail his democracy test at the time was the European Commission. But, since then, the EU treaties have been changed to increase the accountability of the Commission. How would it […]

  • courtesy World Development Movement via Flickr

    TTIP – a winnable battle at European level

    Thank goodness the battle on TTIP is being fought at the European level, where many share the view that some things proposed are unacceptable. If we weren’t in the EU, this government would sign us up to a bilateral TTIP with all its worst features I’ve written several times previously on the proposed Transatlantic Trade […]

  • Video screenshot

    VLOG: Project Fear and migration

    Today’s vlog is a discussion of the way eurosceptics are spinning ‘project fear’, especially with regard to migration.

  • courtesy Chatham House via Flickr

    By the strength of our common endeavour

    Policy Network commissioned a piece from me on Labour’s role in the upcoming referendum, and published it today: Whatever we think of the balance of Cameron’s reforms — and they are mostly a mixture of trivial and useful, with a few bad ideas thrown into the mix — we are not forced, like the Tories, […]

  • courtesy Arturo de La Barrera via Flickr

    Journalistic shorthand

    A letter in last week’s Spectator magazine bemoaned the journalistic habit of using “Europe” as a shorthand for “the European Union”. I was amused, and sent them this further comment: Sir, Your correspondent Anthony Jennings takes umbrage at the shorthand “Europe” to refer to the European Union. A lady I met the other day told […]

  • courtesy Christine Matthews via geograph.org.uk

    Our own laws, our own parliament

    “We should make our own laws in our own parliament” — this is a favourite slogan of the Brexit brigade. What’s the truth behind it? Of course, we do make our own laws in our own parliament — but that very same parliament has decided that some laws should be made jointly with our neighbouring […]

  • courtesy Ryszard Hołubowicz via Wikimedia Commons

    Will Cameron’s deal stick?

    Today, eurosceptic minister Michael Gove gave an interview to the BBC in which he repeated Vote Leave’s opinion that Cameron’s new EU-UK deal was not legally binding. A similar claim was also made earlier this month in David Campbell Bannerman’s tirade of myth and negativity, where he suggested that the deal amounted to no more […]

  • East of England

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the East of England in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £14 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the East of England 4.5 million […]

  • London

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from London in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £12.5 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in London 4.5 million jobs 538,988 jobs (source: House of […]

  • South East

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the South East in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £19.9 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the South East 4.5 million jobs 538,988 […]

  • Yorkshire & Humber

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from Yorkshire & Humber in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £8.5 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in Yorkshire & Humber 4.5 million jobs 363,434 […]

  • Northern Ireland

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from Northern Ireland in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £3.6 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in Northern Ireland 4.5 million jobs 111,480 jobs (source: […]

  • North East

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the North East in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £7 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the North East 4.5 million jobs 156,145 jobs […]

  • Wales

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from Wales in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £5.8 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in Wales 4.5 million jobs 191,332 jobs (source: House of […]

  • North West

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the North West in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £13.5 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the North West 4.5 million jobs 477,005 jobs […]

  • West Midlands

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the West Midlands in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £11.5 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the West Midlands 4.5 million jobs 384,976 jobs […]

  • Scotland

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from Scotland in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £11.6 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in Scotland 4.5 million jobs 336,326 jobs (source: House of Commons […]

  • South West

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the South West in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £8.2 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the South West 4.5 million jobs 362,861 jobs […]

  • East Midlands

    British exports to other EU countries from across the UK in 2014 from the East Midlands in 2014 £229 billion in goods and services £8.8 billion in goods alone (source: Office for National Statistics, 2015) (source: HMRC regional trade statistics)   Jobs linked to EU trade across the UK in the East Midlands 4.5 million jobs […]

  • Video

    More important than party politics

    I spoke to EU Reporter about the implications of the UK ‘in-out’ referendum for the future of the Union.