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European Union (Amendment) Bill

I remind the hon. Gentleman that he speaks as a member of the Liberal Democrats Front-Bench team. Neither I nor my hon. Friend the Member for Elmet, who spoke from the Labour Back Benches, have ever been on the Front Bench. Perhaps I should try to temper the Liberal Front-Bench team's enthusiasm for the free market with the same social concerns that he expresses today. If I have moved on the hon. Gentleman's thinking and that of his party in the right direction, I am happy, because at least I will have done some good work this evening. The phrase ““a duty of care”” springs to mind when I think of the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory). When I hear his description of the EU, I am traumatised. If I were to think about his view, I would not sleep well when I go home tonight. I know that he had a distinguished career in the Conservative Front-Bench team. I can only suppose that the Convention was a traumatic experience for him, because he returns again and again to the things that happened. We must talk about what this treaty says and offers, rather than about what happened in the Convention. I do not know whether this is a cathartic experience for him, and for the hon. Member for Stone, but if it rids him of that obsession and removes the worry presented to him by the Convention, I would be pleased for him.