Cameron starts slow walk from Europe
By Ian Dunt
The Conservatives have begun their slow walk away from the European mainstream, informing their group, the European People’s party (EPP), they intend to leave it.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats said the decision put the Tories on the “fringe” of EU politics.
But the move realises a promise made by David Cameron during his 2005 leadership campaign.
The promise drew bemusement and disbelief from critics, who pointed at the difficulties parties face in finding sufficient allies to create a new grouping.
EU funding and grouping qualification requires MEPs from at least six countries.
And Mr Cameron will indeed be forced to make alliances with some solidly right-wing governments to establish the group, almost certainly involving the Czech Republic and Poland.
The announcement to withdraw from the EPP came in a meeting between shadow foreign secretary William Hague and Joseph Daul, the head of the EPP’s largest internal grouping, in Strasbourg. The Tory front bencher was joined by Mark Francois, shadow Europe minister, and Timothy Kirkhope, Tory MEP leader.
“The meeting was amicable and during the course of it, we confirmed to Mr Daul our longstanding intention to leave the EPP and establish a new grouping in the European Parliament after the 2009 elections,” Mr Francois said.
“William Hague needs to come clean on who he has invited to join the Tories’ fringe group in Europe, who has already turned him down and who he will pledge never to work with,” Europe minister Caroline Flint said.
Liberal Democrat Edward Davey said it showed how far from the mainstream the Conservatives had gone on the issue.
“The Tories now have the most isolationist foreign policy of any modern opposition party, just at a time when countries need to be working more closely than ever,” he said.
“The Conservatives are choosing to look inwards rather than outwards.
“What must the likes of President Obama – or even Kenneth Clarke – think when they are cold-shouldering Europe’s mainstream?”
But there is competition on the right over Europe – an issue that has reaped havoc among the British right for generations.
Libertas, the party created by Irish businessman Declan Ganley, launched in the UK earlier this month, prompting a hostile reaction from the Eurosceptic UKIP, who accuse it of only wanting to drop the Lisbon treaty, not the European project altogether.
