Wednesday’s EU budget amendment
The EU wants the UK to increase our budget contribution from £9.3 Billion each year net toabout £13.6 Billion a year net. That is a difference of £4.3 Billion, enough to off-set a goodproportion of the austerity savings made since the General Election.At a time when local services are being cut in our constituencies and public sector salariesare falling, we believe it would be wrong to increase the amount we pay to the Euro system.Our amendment, therefore, seeks a real terms cut in our EU budget contribution. Withoutit, we will go into the next election having to defend less money for local services, yet moremoney for the Eurocrats.
Yesterday, the Whips are believed to have had a meeting to decide which lines to use to try to dissuade colleagues from supporting the amendment. Our response to this mis-information is as follows:
1. THE WHIP SPIN: This amendment is backed by Labour and part of a deal with Labour:
THE REALITY: This is a Conservative amendment, drafted by Conservative MPs, and reflectsour constituents
’
concerns about increasing the EU budget contribution at a time of publicservice cut backs.If even Ed Balls' Labour party now realises that we should not be increasing our EU budgetcontribution, it would be bizarre for the Conservatives, in coalition with the Lib Dems, tovote in favour of inflationary increases for the EU.If Labour vote the right way for the wrong reasons, and even they are unwilling to defendmore money for Brussels, then we cer
tainly shouldn’t.
2. THE WHIP SPIN: This amendment waters down our objections to a FinancialTransaction Tax:
THE REALITY: There is no reference to the Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) in the original
motion, just a vague reference to “proposals for new taxes”.
The Eurocrats want
these “new taxes” in order to fund an
increased budget. Without anyincrease in the budget, there would be no need to have an FTT to finance it.Far from undermining the case against the FTT, our motion negates the need for one.Moreover, we retain a veto over new taxation anyhow.
3. THE WHIP SPIN: The Commons cannot change anything. Even if this amendment iscarried, it makes no difference;
THE REALITY: As MPs, we exist first and foremost to approve spending. If officials inWhitehall have already made arrangements with Eurocrats to decide on a seven years
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