"May I congratulate my right hon. and hon. Friends on their refreshing approach of standing up for Britain’s interests in Europe, in contrast to that of Labour Members and their MEPs? Will they bear in mind, however, that there is little appetite for any extension of the competence of the …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"I am extremely heartened by the proposition that my hon. Friend has put before the House this evening on this matter, but will she examine this very carefully indeed? I know that the EEAS was opposed by Conservative Members and is the legacy of those on the Labour Benches. As …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"I congratulate the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on an excellent and most competent speech. I listened to her and to the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr MacShane), so may I say to him that the last thing she needs is his protective arm around her? He could do …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"If there were a search for economies in the European budget, one of the best places to start would be the External Action Service. I have a suspicion that although some of its activities might be worth while, the prime motivating force behind the establishment of what is in effect …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that contribution. He has a very consistent record on this issue.
An increasing proportion of our laws, certainly as a result of the past 13 years, are being passed in the European Union, which searches constantly for new fields over which to …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"My hon. Friend’s mention of film studios tempts me to intervene. As he knows, Elstree studios are in my constituency in Hertfordshire, and Hertfordshire as a whole has a world-class tradition of film making. “Star Wars” was made partly in my constituency, as were many other famous films—he mentioned “Harry …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"This is my first opportunity to make a contribution in this Parliament, and it is a pleasure, as always, to follow the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson), although I will not go down the same route as him. I wish to say a little about …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"I am not misrepresenting it in any way. Labour Members were prepared to have a system in which 80% or 90% of income was withdrawn from people who went into work, through the withdrawal of council tax and housing benefit, and not very much has been done about that. I …..." James Clappison - View Speech
"Does not part of the contribution to the EU budget result from the surrender of the UK rebate in 2005 by the previous Government, which will cost taxpayers in this country up to £9 billion over six years and was given in return for nothing? Should we not add that …..." James Clappison - View Speech