Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Eric Forth (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EU Budgetary Reform

Question: Ugly rumours are circulating that the Prime Minister is prepared to give away Lady Thatcher's rebate in return for some vague promise or undertaking on CAP reform. Will the Secretary of State give the House an absolute assurance now that there is no question of our rebate being given away without the absolute certainty now of substantive CAP reform?

Answer: I thought that Ugly Rumours was a band with which the Prime Minister was associated. I am happy to say that I have never heard any of its tracks— Indeed. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 20 June, as on many other occasions, that the rebate was an anomaly, but an anomaly that was justified by a much bigger anomaly, namely the distorted spending of the common agricultural policy. Yes, we are ready to discuss the removal of that anomaly, but only in the context of significant reform of the common agricultural policy.

Secondary information