European Council Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

European Council

Nadhim Zahawi Excerpts
Monday 24th October 2011

(13 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton Portrait The Prime Minister
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We have increased the hours available for free nursery care for three, four and two-year-olds. That is what we have done.

Nadhim Zahawi Portrait Nadhim Zahawi (Stratford-on-Avon) (Con)
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Will the Prime Minister tell the House whether the President of Switzerland and the Prime Minister of Norway were at the table arguing with the French? I suspect that the answer is no because their relationship is different from ours. [Hon. Members: “They are not in the EU.”] That is absolutely right. They are not in the EU, which is why amendment C to the motion is completely the wrong option for our country to pursue.

Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton Portrait The Prime Minister
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My hon. Friend makes an important point. We have to ask clearly, “What is in the UK national interest?” At the heart of our national interest, when it comes to the EU, is not only access to that single market but the need to ensure that we are sitting around the table of the single market determining the rules that our exporters have to follow. That is key to our national interest, and we must not lose that.