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European Communities (Finance) Bill

My hon. Friend deserves some credit for being hyperactive in defence of the Chief Secretary. It is noticeable that the Chief Secretary has more officials than Members supporting him. Only one Member and a part-time Member support him—that shows the support that he enjoys on the Labour Benches. The enthusiasm for the proposals among Labour Members is not high—they will vote for them simply out of loyalty to the Government. The vast majority recognise that it is a poor deal. Britain clearly went into the negotiations with the slogan, ““We surrender”” and progressed from there. Britain's essential core position was to get an agreement. It was not willing to countenance circumstances in which it would stand out against the majority.