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European Communities (Finance) Bill

In many ways, that betrays the problem with the Opposition's logic. The hon. Gentleman suggests that it is possible for this country unilaterally to ignore the ratification deadline and just carry on as if nothing has happened, but that would trigger a major reassessment of our relationship with the European Union—[Interruption.] That might indeed be what he wants, as he confirms, but if that is his real objective, his time would be better spent focusing on the 15 days that will be devoted to the EU reform treaty on the Floor of the House. I guess that his diary is already clear for each and every one of those days. That is the point. This is not a pick-and-mix opportunity. The sweet shop is not open; people cannot just take what they like and leave the rest. We will either accept the measure or we will not. Ingenious attempts to create a third way, as the Opposition new clause seeks to do, are simply unworkable and would lead to the situation that I outlined.