Tuesday 18th June 2013

(11 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Emma Reynolds Portrait Emma Reynolds
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

Turnout is low for many reasons, and I agree that that is one of them. I would have preferred us to keep the system we had before 1999, under which we had constituencies that were bigger than the Westminster constituencies, as we have fewer MEPs than we have MPs but they retained the link with their constituency and their local party—the constituency Labour party for us, or the Conservative association for Conservative MEPs. I am not quite sure what the Liberal Democrats call their local parties—

Ian C. Lucas Portrait Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)
- Hansard - -

They are not sure, either.

Emma Reynolds Portrait Emma Reynolds
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

They might not be sure.

The MEP would not only have a home constituency to look after but would have a political home to which they could refer, which was manageable and of a manageable size.