Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
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 […]
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.
