Brown v Cameron on Europe as-it-happened
Gordon Brown and David Cameron traded barbs on the Lisbon treaty in the Commons , days after the Irish ‘no’ vote apparently derailed the process towards institutional changes in Europe.
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Prime minister Mr Brown began by telling the Commons about the aims of the European Council meeting. The oil price crisis was first on the list, along with “important conclusions” reached after the Irish vote.
Mr Brown said the UK would move for ratification after the ongoing legal challenge to the case is concluded.
He then returned to the energy price crisis, saying the government was taking measures but that the problem was “ultimately global”.
Exploring the introduction of commercially-viable electric vehicles was one of the measures proposed by the Council, he said.
Mr Brown explained a follow-up summit to the Jeddah oil price talks would take place in London later this year. He pressed the importance of a “non-oil future” but said increased medium-term oil production was desirable.
Further commitments towards the Doha trade round and the undertakings of the Rome food price talks earlier this month were confirmed by the Council, he said.
“A trade deal is definitely within our grasp,” he said. Changes to the common agricultural policy may be needed; but the prime minister said such measures could make a real difference.
On the situation in Zimbabwe, the prime minister said it had been “impossible to hold free and fair elections” and pointed to sustained international opposition to Robert Mugabe’s regime.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Zimbabwe who are facing an unprecedented level of violence and intimidation from the regime,” Mr Brown said, describing Mr Mugabe’s government as “a criminal and discredited kabal”.
“The whole world is of the opinion that the status quo cannot continue.”
He said the European Commission was equally critical of the Burmese junta before wrapping up, describing a “strong Britain in a strong Europe”.
Conservative leader David Cameron then got up to respond. He called on Mr Brown to “set out a detailed rescue package for the post-Mugabe era” but added: “Shouldn’t we now make it clear that we should withdraw international recognition for this regime?”
He called the prime minister’s statement “opaque” and criticised Mr Brown’s delivery, saying he “rattled it off like a machine gun”.
The Tory leader said he wanted to know why the government was doing so little on energy matters.
“At the heart of this European council was the issue of the Irish referendum. The prime minister told us so little about Ireland that I thought he was going to tell us it was a far away place,” he said.
Mr Cameron said Mr Brown had not attempted to sell the treaty on positive grounds and accused him of failing leadership, before attacking “negative arguments” for the treaty on enlargement, Britain’s isolation in Europe and
“He says that any party that chooses to talk about the loss of national vetoes, about the dangers of a European superstate. this is somehow backward looking and somehow indulgent in old politics. [The real backward looking] are the political elites in Brussels, endlessly coming up with new powers in Brussels without giving anyone any say. When is the prime minister going to wake up and realise that the EU is going in entirely the wrong direction?” he asked.
In response Mr Brown began by returned to Zimbabwe, saying the UK government knows the names of those running the “criminal kabal” there. He said there was a consensus in the Commons that “what has happened is intolerable” and called for “a way forward for the people of Zimbabwe”.
On the recognition issue, the prime minister said the British government has made clear for “weeks and months” that it does not recognise Mr Mugabe’s regime as “legitimate”.
He then knocked aside criticisms on renewable energy and the Doha trade round, before returning back to the Irish referendum.
“It is for the Irish to make their position known and they made it absolutely clear,” he said, before telling Mr Cameron he should respect the voice of parliament on the Lisbon treaty.
Mr Brown then went on to the offensive in a wider sense, attacking the Tories’ “perverse view of Europe”.
“He wants to tackle poverty around Europe but he refuses t support the social chapter,” he said.
“He wants a world trade deal but this can only happen with Europe working as Europe to make that possible. And he wants action on food prices – this can best be done by being part of the European Union.”
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg sought reassurance that the treaty issue would be resolved in October, preventing months of navel-gazing. On Zimbabwe he called for greater regional pressure and said he believed there was more the prime minister could do. He said the government should allow asylum seekers should be allowed to live and work in Britain temporarily.
On carbon capture technology, he welcomed the Council announcements but criticised the new generation of “dirty power stations” commissioned by the government.
Mr Clegg then said “summit-hopping” was not enough on oil prices.
On asylum,Mr Brown said cases were dealt with on an individual basis. He said Britain was leading the rest of the EU on carbon capture and that it was urging the Council to ensure the EU budget provides some support.
On food and oil issues, the prime minister said these were major problems facing families up and down the country but recited a list of the government’s measures to help families – winter fuel allowance, additional help for insulation, etc.
Malcolm Rifkind stood up from the backbenches and challenged the government to provide greater pressure from regional players, including a reiteration of his party’s call for a suspension of recognition.
Mr Brown said he agreed with this call in terms of recognising “legitimacy” and said there was a “new mood in Africa” not prepared to accept the Mugabe regime.
Labour backbencher Michael Connarty asked the prime minister about the Irish referendum, appealing for some grains of comfort for pro-European MPs.
“In the situation in which we find ourselves in which 26 countries are moving towards ratification. we should give them time to reconsider their position,” Mr Brown responded. He suggested there were other factors which could have come to play in the referendum, including the state of the economy.
“That’s all the more reason for listening to the Irish government,” he said.
Tory MP John Stanley returned to Zimbabwe yet again. Mr Brown said the “reconstruction of Zimbabwe” had to be the end goal of sanctions and other punitive measures.
