This week has seen the issue of the EU budget negotiations debated in the House of Commons.
For a long time the PM has been trying to cut the EU's attempt for a large budget increase. In this he has been making progress with other countries also seeking restraint in difficult times.
Labour’s record at the negotiating table seven years ago is worth analysing. Under Tony Blair, as advised by his then adviser Ed Milband, Labour were happy to increase the EU budget massively, at every single negotiation. Worse still, they threw away half the UK’s rebate. Don't get me started about Gordon Brown selling our gold - you get the picture.
Then this year the Labour group in the European Parliament called for an increase in the budget.
However, this week the Labour opposition in the House of Commons decided to cause mischief; although when asked they refused to answer if they would invoke the veto that Britain still holds over the EU Budget.
As the PM said at questions on Wednesday:
"At best we would like it cut, at worst a frozen budget, and I’m quite prepared to use the veto if we don’t get a deal that’s good for Britain"
Journalists love to find splits in government but the reality is that we are the ones trying to stop the budget get increased, as we have long argued. If the EU tries to increase the budget at the talks on the 22nd November, I hope that the PM will veto it.
By way of an update on this weeks debate I, and others of the 2010 generation of Conservative MP's, are featured in a recent article by the Mail on how the 2010 generation of new MPs are largely made up of people who have had real jobs and real life experiences. Its worth a read: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226601/True-Brits-Meet-new-breed-Tory-MPs-defied-leader-EU-jobs-real-world.html#ixzz2B2grw9yW%20
