Ministerial statement on Monday, 2 July 2012, in the House of Commons, led by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton.

EU Council

Statement on the European Council held in Brussels on 28-29 June 2012.

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 547 cc584-611
Session: 2012-13
Department: Prime Minister
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 cc585-6 (Link to this contribution)
I am sure that, like me, the whole House will be deeply saddened by the deaths of three British s...; John Bercow | 547 c586 (Link to this contribution)
Order. Members are a little over-excitable. They must calm themselves, and the Prime Minister’s s...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c587 (Link to this contribution)
First, we must recognise that, in the short term, the priority for Europe is to deal with the ins...; Ed Miliband | 547 cc587-9 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his statement. On the tragic news from Afghanistan, all o...; John Bercow | 547 c589 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I said that Labour Back Benchers should not be yelling when the Prime Minister was speakin...; Ed Miliband | 547 c589 (Link to this contribution)
Then the Foreign Secretary was sent out to say on television:
“The Prime Minister… is not c...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c589 (Link to this contribution)
Let me start with the right hon. Gentleman’s questions about the inquiry into the banking scandal...; Ed Balls | 547 c590 (Link to this contribution)
It is what you tried to do on Leveson.; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c590 (Link to this contribution)
The shadow Chancellor is intervening from a sedentary position. No one would like to see him in t...; Malcolm Rifkind | 547 c590 (Link to this contribution)
While there is wide agreement in Britain as to the need for reforms in our relationship with the ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c591 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. and learned Friend has set out the situation very well. It is worth saying, as I sa...; Lord Darling of Roulanish | 547 c591 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Prime Minister agree that the customary celebrations after last week’s euro summit were,...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c591 (Link to this contribution)
I have great respect for the right hon. Gentleman, and what he says about the eurozone agreements...; Lord Redwood | 547 c591 (Link to this contribution)
Given that there is practically no unpledged money left in the current bail-out fund and given th...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c591 (Link to this contribution)
As ever, my right hon. Friend is incisive at getting to some of the difficulties in what is being...; Jack Straw | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman failed to answer the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for E...; Lord Campbell of Pittenweem | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
May I welcome my right hon. Friend’s continuing, and occasionally warm, endorsements of Britain’s...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
Everyone will have to account for what they have said and all the rest of it, but I have to ask: ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. and learned Friend makes an important point, which is that we need to make sure tha...; David Miliband | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
Further to that question, I wonder whether there are any circumstances, further to the Prime Mini...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
As I said, I want to stay in the European Union for the reasons I have given. But I will always s...; Lord Lilley | 547 c592 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend will know that my opposition to excessive centralisation of power in Europe ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend, whose parentage I have never questioned, nor would I ever do so, puts it ve...; Lord Hain | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
Is the Prime Minister concerned that on Europe and the referendum he sounds more like John Major ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
What matters is doing the right thing. I think that there are two positions that do not make sens...; Andrea Leadsom | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
Will my right hon. Friend agree to consider carefully that the Fresh Start project’s options for ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
I shall certainly consider very carefully what my hon. Friend says. As I said, the Foreign Secret...; Elfyn Llwyd | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
What discussions were there of the likely effects of the oil embargo on Iran and were there any d...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c593 (Link to this contribution)
There were brief discussions about Iran because the discussions about the single currency, the eu...; William Cash | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
I was heartened by my right hon. Friend’s interview on the referendum question, but given his neg...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
I can see that it must have been a particularly satisfying and heart-warming taxi ride for my hon...; Helen Goodman | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Prime Minister tell the House what indications he has had from European colleagues that ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
We were able to renegotiate the bail-out power and get out of that part of the treaty, so we have...; Conor Burns | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be aware that the British public are heartily sick o...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c594 (Link to this contribution)
I take seriously my hon. Friend’s point and there is some merit in that argument. We have legisla...; Denis MacShane | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
Will the future referendum that the Prime Minister is now semi-pledging also cover treaty obligat...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
As the right hon. Gentleman knows, the two issues are separate, in that there is the Council of E...; Tony Baldry | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
Britain is a trading nation. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, as a trading nation, it needs ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is at the heart of the case for remaining in the Europea...; Baroness Hoey | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
May I simply ask the Prime Minister to look at his terminology? In his statement, he mentioned Br...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
As ever, the hon. Lady is right about almost everything, and I am rightly chastised.; Edward Leigh | 547 c595 (Link to this contribution)
What I suspect the majority of British people want is what they were offered in the only referend...; Keith Vaz | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
May I welcome the continued support that has been given to Greece? It is not just a case of Greec...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
The point that I make to my hon. Friend, whom I respect hugely for his views, is that what we hav...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
I know that the right hon. Gentleman has great expertise in this area. It seems to me important t...; Philip Davies | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Prime Minister remind his coalition partners that in their 2010 manifesto, they said:; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a good point. He often rightly criticises me for not delivering every part o...; Dennis Skinner | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
With all these mixed messages, unlike the Thatcher regime, can the Prime Minister tell us whether...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c596 (Link to this contribution)
Just to clear it up, I did not meet or speak with Andy Coulson at the weekend.; Anne Main | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
I completely disagree with my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kensington (Sir Malcol...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. The argument that I would make is that although there may ...; Stuart Bell | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister has referred several times to the national interest. He also referred to the b...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
Yes, I think that it is, but the argument that I would make is that that was an agreement reached...; Simon Hughes | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
May I associate the Prime Minister’s Liberal Democrat colleagues with his expressions of condolen...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c597 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend makes an important point. To be fair, in terms of coalition policy on Europe...; Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister suggests the setting up of a parliamentary committee of inquiry. Whenever we h...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
The short answer to that is yes, I want it to have those powers. What Parliament has behind it is...; David TC Davies | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Prime Minister agree that the last time we saw the current levels of interference in Bri...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
The point I would make—[Interruption.]; John Bercow | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I want to hear the Prime Minister on the subject of reformations and other matters.; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
As a rather wishy-washy member of the Church of England, I am finding answering this question rat...; Barry Gardiner | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
The EU decision on the oil embargo on Iran has caused great joy in the paint shops around the Ara...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c598 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point. I believe that the embargo will be robust and we wi...; Mark Pritchard | 547 cc598-9 (Link to this contribution)
Far be it from me to correct the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c599 (Link to this contribution)
I completely understand the view held by my hon. Friend and a number of other colleagues on our B...; Pete Wishart | 547 c599 (Link to this contribution)
Well, it looks like we are going to have a referendum, maybe in two or three years’ time, and may...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c599 (Link to this contribution)
I have to say gently to the hon. Gentleman that there is a slight difference. As I understand it,...; John Baron | 547 c599 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that now is not the time for an in/out referendum, so will...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c599 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely hear what my hon. Friend says. I do not want to misrepresent him, and if I have done...; Chris Bryant | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
The coalition agreement makes another commitment in relation to treaty change: that the Governmen...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
I am still waiting for my apology, which I notice I have not yet got. Perhaps there will be a few...; Lord Soames of Fletching | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
May I associate myself with the remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Sir Tony Baldry...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend makes an important point. One of the things that we have made progress on ov...; David Winnick | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
After what has happened today and the responses from the Prime Minister’s side of the House, does...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
I worked very closely with John Major and admire him very much. People now make a reassessment an...; Lord Jackson of Peterborough | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
Irrespective of our personal views, why is it right that the people of Scotland will be given a p...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c600 (Link to this contribution)
I have great respect for my hon. Friend, who takes a very clear view about which he feels very de...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
I do not know the answer to that question; I will have to look very carefully and, perhaps, reply...; Paul Flynn | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
How many of the hundreds of new jobs that will come from setting up the patent court will be loca...; Lord Johnson of Marylebone | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
Unemployment in the eurozone today hit a fresh record high of 11.1%, with youth unemployment reac...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a very important point. If we look at the different rates of youth unemploym...; Nicholas Brown | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
Can the Prime Minister explain to the House why existing anti-fraud legislation does not work in ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
As I have said, today we have asked the Serious Fraud Office to look specifically at the issue an...; Lord Harrington of Watford | 547 c601 (Link to this contribution)
I am sure that the Prime Minister remembers from his recent visit to Watford the several multinat...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Britain benefits from being in the single market and having a...; Seema Malhotra | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
Businesses in my constituency are worried about jobs and growth. Given the size of our trade rela...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s question. There was good progress on the growth compact. I thin...; 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; John Bercow | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I am keen to accommodate more colleagues, but very large numbers of them are standing and ...; Richard Drax | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister urges close integration as one solution to the problem in Europe. Closer integ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c602 (Link to this contribution)
We cannot make choices on behalf of other European countries. The eurozone countries say that the...; Lord Cryer | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
Can the Prime Minister confirm that he is prepared to see the sacrifice of sovereignty and democr...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
I would not put it like that. I cannot tell the Greek people what to do. My view is that the righ...; George Eustice | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with the Prime Minister that the priority for this country should be to negotiate the ret...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a very important point. There has been a defeatism from the Labour party, in...; Andrew Love | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
There are significant misgivings about the impact of a banking union on the financial services se...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
I do not believe that it will. We are trying to protect our interests in terms of the single mark...; Steve Baker | 547 c603 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the progress that my right hon. Friend is making towards obtaining the full-hearted con...; Nia Griffith | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Prime Minister give us a little more detail about the evidence that he used to convince ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a good point. The fact is that a promise was made of a referendum on the Eur...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
The point I would make to the hon. Lady is that there are parts of the growth compact that includ...; Neil Carmichael | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
No doubt there will be many more EU Councils to come, so does the Prime Minister think that he wo...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
I am sure that the first half of my hon. Friend’s question is right. I have been Prime Minister f...; Graham Stringer | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister has claimed success with the bail-out funds, which, of course, were not part o...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c604 (Link to this contribution)
On the bail-outs, I do not think that the hon. Gentleman is correct. The fact is that a treaty ar...; Matt Hancock | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
I warmly welcome the announcement of the review into banking to replace the failed regulation dra...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes an important point. The Chancellor will be going into more detail on this is...; Wayne David | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
Given the Prime Minister’s support—in theory, at least—for a referendum on Europe, what is his po...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
We have set out in the House of Lords Reform Bill a very clear pathway for the House of Lords. Ho...; Peter Bone | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
I can report that the relationship between Mrs Bone and the Prime Minister is blooming. I have ju...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
As ever, I am looking forward to my meeting with Mrs Bone, but—how can I put this?—I do not want ...; Mark Hendrick | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
What game is the Prime Minister playing? He is encouraging eurozone members to integrate closer a...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c605 (Link to this contribution)
I do not really understand what lies behind the hon. Gentleman’s question. It is intellectually c...; James Clappison | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
Does not the history of our membership of the European Union demonstrate that there is not just a...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
That goes back to one of the problems with the referendum in the 1970s, when people did not recei...; David Anderson | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
Was the financial transactions tax spoken about at the weekend, whether formally or informally? D...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
The financial transactions tax was mentioned, because the growth compact says clearly that a numb...; Nigel Adams | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
How bad does the Prime Minister think the financial damage to the UK would have been had we not g...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s question. We can start to count the cost, because with things ...; William Bain | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
Economic demand is continuing to fall across the eurozone, youth unemployment in Greece and Spain...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c606 (Link to this contribution)
The point that I would make to the hon. Gentleman is that because we are outside the euro, as wel...; Jacob Rees-Mogg | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
I completely support the Prime Minister in saying that the answer is less Europe, rather than mor...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
He can.; Mark Lazarowicz | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
It is clear that the type of referendum that the Prime Minister has in mind is one in which the c...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
For people who want to leave the European Union—that is a perfectly honourable, respectable polit...; Julian Brazier | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of the progress in Russia’s views on Syria. Could we ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is entirely right to make that point, and the Foreign Secretary has spent a lot of...; Huw Irranca-Davies | 547 c607 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister’s position on an EU referendum seems to be summed up in that comedy catchphras...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 cc607-8 (Link to this contribution)
I think I would let Vicky Pollard stick to her own work and think of something different.
A...; David Nuttall | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
At a time when EU countries are more indebted than ever before, why should the UK pay more so tha...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
We account for about 14% of new loans made by the European Investment Bank. There is clearly weak...; 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
rose—; John Bercow | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I am now looking for questions consisting of a single, short sentence. I am sure the hon. ...; Clive Efford | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
With reference to the answer that the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Ma...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
I do not think it is for Prime Ministers to hire and fire bank chiefs. Mr Diamond will have to ma...; Julian Lewis | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
Is it my right hon. Friend’s position that in any referendum on Europe while he is Prime Minister...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
No, that is not what I have said. What I have said is that I do not support an immediate in/out r...; Gregg McClymont | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
The Prime Minister has repeatedly endorsed the United Kingdom’s membership of the EU this afterno...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c608 (Link to this contribution)
What I have always said is that we should act in the interests of the whole United Kingdom, and I...; Ian Swales | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
Is the Prime Minister aware of any significant City institutions that want this country to leave ...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
I am not aware of any City institutions that want that. On the whole, the City institutions want ...; David Evennett | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. Does he agree that we must continue to battle for rad...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend puts it extremely well. We should pursue the national interest. The key argument i...; Sam Gyimah | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
Does my right hon. Friend agree that a referendum is only a means to an end and not the end in it...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Before we get to the referendum question, we must ask the pri...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
The depressing statistic my hon. Friend gives is important as we go into the budget negotiations....; Baroness Coffey | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
More Eurocrats work in education and culture than on the internal market and services. Will my ri...; James Morris | 547 c609 (Link to this contribution)
There has been a lack of growth in Europe, but does the Prime Minister agree that, despite concer...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is entirely right. That is why our approach in Europe—the positive steps we have t...; Lord Barwell | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the Prime Minister’s stress on the importance of the single market and his statement th...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is right that, in the end, as Europe changes and as we seek this fresh settlement,...; Henry Smith | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
At last week’s meeting, the European Council president said it could take up to a decade to imple...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a very good point. Europe is changing rapidly and, as I have argued, quite f...; Robert Halfon | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
I welcome the fact that my right hon. Friend has opened the door to a referendum on substantial r...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
One question about biofuels is their sustainability—that might be what lies behind my hon. Friend...; Charlie Elphicke | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
Although I welcome the Prime Minister’s setting up the banking review, does he agree that the rea...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c610 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes an important point, but although there has been silence from the Labour part...; Andrew Bridgen | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Given that the UK is running a large trade deficit with the rest—[Interruption.]; John Bercow | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Order. We must hear Mr Bridgen.; Andrew Bridgen | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Given that the UK is running a large trade deficit with the rest of the EU, does my right hon. Fr...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend makes a good point. Britain is not only a huge market for other EU goods but a lar...; Jason McCartney | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Does the Prime Minister agree that the Leader of the Opposition is wrong to criticise those who b...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
As ever, my hon. Friend speaks up robustly for his constituents. Some of the issues that we face ...; John Bercow | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Last but not least, we must hear the voice of Kettering, Mr Philip Hollobone.; Philip Hollobone | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Given that my right hon. Friend is now not ruling out a future referendum on our membership of th...; Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
When my hon. Friend sees the balance of competences review, he will find that a lot of what he se...; John Bercow | 547 c611 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I thank the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the 74 Back Benchers who have...
Subjects: Banks Economic situation EU budget Economic and monetary union Oil Referendums UK membership of EU Sanctions European Council Iran Syria
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk

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