The contrast today could not be clearer. The Conservatives are hesitating over their promised vote on the European arrest warrant on the same day Ed Miliband will speak at the CBI annual conference about our economic recovery, jobs and skills with a clear warning that leaving the European Union would risk millions of jobs and businesses.
One approach focuses on party interests before a by-election; the other about our core national interest, our economic recovery and the things that matter most to the British people – many of which are connected to our place in the EU.
Miliband has chosen to talk about a recovery ‘for the many and not the few’ today. This is inextricably linked with the choice to either stay or leave the single market and our access to jobs and prosperity. Our membership of the EU goes hand in hand with our agenda for fairness, creating decent jobs, tackling low pay, raising the minimum wage and dealing with the abuse of zero-hours contracts. Staying in the EU and fighting for prosperity, influence and fairness is the choice that Miliband is making.
For the Tories, meanwhile, despite promises to hold a Commons debate on EAW, home secretary Theresa May has continually attempted to delay the vote, probably because of next week’s by-election. This delay and confusion has become symbolic of the Conservatives’ ambiguity on the EU and the way they focus on party rather than national interests.
We now, for example, have in place a reformed EAW, which is more proportional in its effect in excluding ‘trivial’ cases and which has resulted in the deportation of more than 1,000 foreign criminals last year in cases related to fraud, murder and drug-trafficking. In addition, under the reformed EAW, extradition is much more efficient as a result of improved cooperation between national authorities tackling major criminal activity in the continent.
It was predictable, then, that the home secretary, despite backing the EAW, also chose at the weekend to attack ‘Brussels red tape’. It is this constant ambiguity and denigration of the EU to please Eurosceptics, which we saw again with George Osborne’s spin on the EU budget, that will help drag us closer to the exit door in the name of internal Conservative party politics and the need to please the United Kingdom Independence party.
Despite the strength of the new EAW which is supported by May, David Cameron and Michael Howard but not many Conservative backbenchers, we have an attitude to the EU which dangerously extends to opposing the practical benefits to UK citizens and distorts its clear benefits. Most crucially, it distorts the big economic arguments made for our continued membership of the EU.
Labour is absolutely right today to lead on our economic recovery and to lead on our prosperity, influence and fairness being linked firmly to our continued partnership within the EU.
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Claude Moraes MEP is chair of the European parliament’s civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee
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Photo credit: fdecomite
European Immigration has held down the wages for lower paid ,ordinary families in the UK .
In the city I live in this coupled with Tory policies of forcing the low paid to pay council tax for the first time ,the bedroom tax and of course the evil treatment of the disabled means that even many of the new immigrants are really suffering financially . In my ward we have British and Europeans who cannot pay their rents ,and British and Europeans verging on suicide .
They mainly agree on no more immigration at least until things improve . People in my ward are not racist , however they voted in a UKIP. candidate in the last elections ,rather than another Tory ,or the superb Labour Candidate .
People are desperate ,with Europeans having wasted their lives under the Jackboot of Communism finding it even tougher to live under the jackboot of Capitalism .
I think Kerr Hardy stood on the policy of NO MORE IMMIGRATION and AGAINST LANDLORDISM . That is what many of my ward voters want now . Sadly ,the Leadership is not so in touch as the party,s founders ; or probably simply do not care for the low paid and poor . As for Euro MPs , if they criticise Europe they lose their pension , and so their opinions are not worth the paper they are written on .
I agree that the contrast between the Labour and Conservative parties on Europe could not be clearer. On the one hand a party brave enough to give the electorate the chance to vote on the most important issue affecting the future of their country, and one which isn’t.
Ed should be hitting back at someone, but its not the Tories or kippers, its the turncoats and traitors in his own party he should take to task – 6 months befor the election he is being savaged – albeit with false teeth – also no visible support by his own kith and kin – his bro seems hell-bent on his failing next May 7. Sort this out then take on comments over Europe and world affairs.
Sort out some weaknesses in the armour or these traitors may be seen as Tory/kipper partisans.
Doesn’t bode well for Unity is Strength.