Did Cameron 'mislead the House' over EU budget?
28 October, 2010 - 15:53 -- Full Fact team
The Prime Minister told the Commons during yesterday's PMQs that Labour MEPs had voted in favour of rises to the EU's budget, a claim that has been denied by one such MEP. Does David Cameron need to set the record straight?
“The European Parliament has insisted on a higher budget than the one set by the Council, so the first thing we have to do is to say that is not acceptable… we would be assisted if Labour MEPs did not keep voting for higher budgets, which is exactly what they did this week.”
David Cameron, PMQs, 27 October 2010
The decision by the EU Parliament to approve plans to increase member-state contributions to its budget at a time when national spending in many countries is being curtailed has got MPs on both sides of the House of Commons a little hot under the collar.
The Conservative Eurosceptic Bill Cash has called for an emergency debate in the Commons on Britain’s options following the 5.9 per cent rise, whilst Labour’s Kate Hoey urged David Cameron at yesterday’s PMQs to say to Brussels "sorry, we're not paying".
Responding to Ms Hoey, the Prime Minister pointed the finger at her Labour colleagues across the Channel, accusing them of voting for these very measures.
This was a charge explicitly denied by one Labour MEP. Mary Honeyball maintained that the Labour bloc had “voted against the budget in Strasbourg last week” and called on Mr Cameron to apologise for misleading the House.
So does she have a point?
Analysis:
Looking at the breakdowns for last week’s budget vote, it would appear so. Of the 11 Labour MEPs present at the division, all but one voted against the budget package (the other abstained).
The Conservative Party press office, however, maintain that Labour MEPs failed to vote for an amendment to freeze the EU Budget, proposed by SNP members.
This is also broadly accurate. As with the budget vote, 10 of the 11 Labour MEPs present chose to oppose amendment 12, with only Ms Honeyball voting in favour. All the Conservative members present voted in favour of the proposed freeze.
So is David Cameron exonerated? Not quite.
Whilst most of Labour’s representatives in Brussels and Strasbourg may have opposed attempts to freeze the budget, they never actually voted for increases, as the Prime Minister appears to suggest.
Conclusion:
So whereas Labour would seem to have something of a mixed voting record on attempts to prevent rises to the EU’s budget, it is not strictly accurate to accuse them of voting in favour of the rises.
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