European Council Debate

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Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Lord Spellar

Main Page: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)

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Human Rights in India

European Council

Lord Spellar Excerpts

Hinkley Point
Tuesday 19th March 2013

(11 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Swire Portrait Mr Swire
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I am not the Prime Minister and, unlike other people in this House, I have never thought that I should be or would be. I was not present at the European Council, no.

Lord Spellar Portrait Mr John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)
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Was the Prime Minister there?

Lord Swire Portrait Mr Swire
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I can confirm that the Prime Minister was there, that he took a lead, and that he has come back. I am now reporting back on what was decided at the European Council. The hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) makes the point again about whether the Prime Minister should have come to the House, but he might have noticed that we did have Leveson this week. No doubt his points will have been heard by those who organise the House’s business, however.

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Lord Swire Portrait Mr Swire
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Amazingly, I was not responsible for the agenda at the European Council.

Lord Spellar Portrait Mr Spellar
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He wasn’t even there.

Lord Swire Portrait Mr Swire
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At least the right hon. Gentleman was paying attention. I was not even there; we have got that straight, anyway.

My hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Chris Heaton-Harris) is right. What we are concentrating on now, in this country, is ensuring that those of our servicemen or diplomatic service, and so on, who are in Cyprus are not adversely affected; as he would expect, discussions are going on to that end.

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