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European Communities (Finance) Bill

The hon. Gentleman is advancing a pub argument. He knows that such matters are periodically reviewed by all members of the EU and that the deal that this country secured during the process of negotiation was for approximately €160 billion less than the European Commission originally proposed. Let me ask him a direct question. Did he believe that there would be a cost to EU enlargement? Did he think that the countries of western Europe would have to make a financial contribution to the enlarged European Union? I reckon that when his right hon. Friends were advocating enlargement, they were not thinking, ““We'll say yes, but not at any cost to the United Kingdom.””