European Council

Mark Pritchard Excerpts

Monday 17th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

That is not a position I support, so I do not spend my time thinking about it, but clearly all futures for Britain are imaginable—we are in charge of our own destiny and can make our own choices. I believe that the choice we should make is to stay in the European Union, to be a member of the single market and to maximise our impact in Europe, but when we are unhappy with parts of the relationship we should not be frightened of standing up and saying so. As I have said, we have got out of the bail-out power. I think that we made a mistake joining the social chapter. We should be prepared to have these discussions. The fact that we are not in the Schengen agreement is not a disaster for Britain; it is a bonus for Britain. The fact that we are not in the single currency is not a disaster for Britain; it is a bonus for Britain. That is the sort of Europe we should be pushing for.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

Ahead of my right hon. Friend’s speech on Europe, and given his very busy schedule to which he referred, may I, in the spirit of Christmas, offer him a helping hand on his Europe speech and say that I will be fully available all over the Christmas holidays?

[The Prime Minister]

That is an alluring prospect, and I am sure that many hands will make light work.