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Proceeding contribution from William Cash (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 11 January 2011. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee of the Whole House (HC) on European Union Bill.


European Union Bill

My hon. Friend is making remarks with which I must, unfortunately, disagree. In particular, I do not think that he has quite understood the nature of sovereignty. The United Kingdom Parliament is sovereign only in so far as it is not affected by decisions taken by the courts. Sovereignty is about the rule of law, which pivots between the courts on the one hand and Parliament on the other: we make and they interpret. When they get into the position of seeking, as they now are, through the common-law principle and their judicial assertions to erode sovereignty by specific words, they are invading our sovereignty. In amending and eliminating that, as I seek to do, we would revert back to the supremacy that we have always wanted and insisted on.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
521 c221-2 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Common law Constitutional and administrative law Judiciary EU law European communities Referendums Parliamentary scrutiny Sovereignty Treaties Reform UK membership of EU Supreme Court Rule of law
Legislation
European Communities Act 1972
European Union Bill 2010-12
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk