On Monday night the House of Commons voted on a motion relating to a national referendum on the European Union. Many people will have seen the media coverage surrounding the debate, and it is important to remember that contrary to some reports, this debate was put forward by a group of backbench MPs and therefore the result could not binding on the government.
From the outset I feared that the original motion of the debate was divisive, both for the country and the Conservative Party, and I was supportive of an amendment which provided an alternative course of action. Put forward by my Parliamentary colleagues, it sought to first identify the powers that have been passed to Brussels that the government would wish to renegotiate; secondly enter into a process of negotiation with our European partners, and thirdly for the result of those negotiations to be put to a referendum. As someone who has been involved in a number of business deals over the years, it seems to me to make much more sense to renegotiate first to try and secure better terms before coming to a decision on the quality and nature of the deal.
However, as the Speaker did not select any of the amendments on the order paper to debate, I was unable to vote for it. All MPs were then faced with the option of voting simply for or against the original motion. I fully appreciate how some MPs felt that they would have to vote against government policy, and I respect their decisions for doing so. But on this occasion I supported the government for reasons I believe to be in the national interest. A strong lead at is critical, and as the Foreign Secretary himself said, talks of a referendum would only add economic uncertainly at this very difficult time of crisis in the Eurozone.
I do believe that the people of Britain should have their say about the nature of our relationship with Europe. But I do not believe this to be the right time. Given our current links with Europe, providing 40% of Britain’s overseas trade and providing 3.5 million jobs, it is massively against our interests to see the Euro collapse. I support the Prime Minister when he says that he remains fully committed to bringing back more powers from Brussels, and we must embark on that process sooner rather than later.