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European Communities (Finance) Bill

We do not have to take a view on that; we can look at what the Court of Auditors has said about corruption and fraud, misappropriation of the budget and misuse of EU funds. However, we are debating the UK rebate. Let me remind the Chief Secretary that after the so-called negotiations in December 2005, perhaps the most damning comment on the performance of the British Government was made by the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Douste-Blazy, who praised Tony Blair as willing to wage a battle for the EU"““rather than calmly doing his job simply as a British prime minister””." What an accolade that is for a British Prime Minister from a French Foreign Minister after an EU negotiation! The British people would rather their Prime Minister calmly did the job to which he was elected. With the economy slowing, Government borrowing mounting, public services under pressure, staged pay rises and a dramatic slowdown in funding growth, the British people would rather their Prime Minister fought any proposal to hand over yet more money to the EU—certainly any proposal to do so on an unconditional basis.