EU: European Justice and Home Affairs Powers

Debate between Lord Wood of Anfield and Lord McNally

Monday 15th October 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord McNally]

The noble Lord is being unduly cynical about the approach being taken—or let us say pessimistic. When the Home Secretary of the day makes a considered Statement of government policy and I repeat it from this Dispatch Box in this House, we are asking noble Lords and Members in the other place to believe that the Government have not made a final decision on this matter. They have adopted a process which will enable us properly to look at the issues before us. I take note of the noble Lord’s point that the opt-out/opt-in decision is part of a single picture, and I shall certainly draw my colleagues’ attention to the fact that somebody with his long experience of negotiations of this kind is giving what I consider to be wise advice.

[Lord Wood of Anfield]

My Lords—

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[Lord Wood of Anfield]

My Lords, in the event that we opt out and then persuade 26 other EU countries of the importance of us opting back in on an individual item, would the act of opting back in trigger a referendum under the Government’s own legislation?

[Lord McNally]

We do not believe that that would trigger a referendum.