Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts
Monday 22nd April 2013

(11 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mark Reckless Portrait Mark Reckless
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As my hon. Friend pointed out, the Prime Minister now says that there should have been a referendum on the Maastricht treaty. Does he recall that the Prime Minister was at the time a special adviser to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, who had been Chief Secretary to the Treasury under Margaret Thatcher and who refused to sign the treaty? A junior Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), had to go and do it instead.

Baroness Primarolo Portrait Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)
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Order. That really is not part of the subject of the debate. We are not having a history lesson on how we came to approve section 5, or on the players in that event; we are considering the documentation that the Government have asked us to approve this evening in connection with section 5, and I should be grateful if all Members would remain in order. I feel sure that Mr Cash is going to come to the point now, in the context of that documentation.