European Council

Shailesh Vara Excerpts

Monday 11th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I am afraid that that is the key test. It is one thing saying something in this Parliament. The real test of leadership is whether the Leader of the Opposition can get not only his own socialist MEPs, but all socialist MEPs to support the deal. If he thinks that it is such a good idea and if he is such a leading player in the socialist group, surely he will be able to convince his MEPs, but we have heard not a word about that.

[Mr Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

I congratulate the Prime Minister on rejecting the calls for a further review of our rebate. Does he agree that it is high time for the Labour party to apologise for giving away nearly half the rebate when it was in power, which is costing the country billions of pounds?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. I am sorry to disappoint him, but I am afraid that the Labour party has not learned the lesson. Its group in the European Parliament, the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, has called for an end to all rebates, including ours. Its EU budget reform submission stated that the socialist and democratic group

“calls on the Commission to propose to put an end to all form of rebates”.

Far from learning from its mistakes, the Labour party would like to do it all over again.