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Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) (Lab): It is always a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory), and we all in this House appreciate the enormous amount of work that he has put into the task of representing the House on the Convention. Even though some of us disagree with what he has said, no one doubts the commitment and sincerity with which he has undertaken his task.

These debates have become surreal. I have attended almost every one of them since 2000, when I attended my first European summit as Minister for Europe, and they all take a similar format. The Opposition complain bitterly about what the Government are proposing to do, then after the summit is over they complain bitterly about something that the Government did not do. I wish the Minister for Europe, the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister well in what is a critical summit for this country and the rest of Europe. I know that they will work extraordinarily hard on behalf of British interests, which in my view is exactly what all Ministers have done when they have been to summit meetings to bat for Britain over the past 20 or so years.

I know that the summit is important because I have heard that Mr. Trevor Kavanagh, the political editor of The Sun, has decided to pack four clean shirts because he is convinced that it will take a long time. If my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe runs out of shirts, I am sure that Trevor will lend him one to enable him to complete the negotiations.

The summit is similar in importance to the Nice summit. It is crucial because it will affect the way in which this country sees the European Union. Of course, all the arguments put forward on both sides of the House are relevant to the debate, but I hope that we will have a constructive debate once we have an outcome to the negotiations. It is worth remembering that the negotiations are not yet concluded. The Prime Minister is going to the summit to take Britain's views forward, and only after he is satisfied that the best interests of this country have been met will he sign up to the constitution. We should have faith and trust in his negotiating ability, which has brought us a central role in the way in which the European Union operates.

Angus Robertson: Does the hon. Gentleman appreciate that although an industry such as the fishing industry might be utterly peripheral to the UK
 
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perspective, it is utterly central to concerns in Scotland about the European Union? As a convinced European, I have grave misgivings that the UK Government will not bat on that vital issue. Does the hon. Gentleman appreciate what a devastating consequence that will have for the chance of ever getting a positive vote north of the border for a proposed constitution that entrenches fishing as an exclusive competence?

Keith Vaz: As the hon. Gentleman knows, we have no fishing industry in Leicester, although we have a by-election pending and several people are fishing for the seat. The hon. Gentleman is an eloquent advocate of his constituents and of Scotland, and I am sure that his representations have been listened to by the Government and will continue to be listened to by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe. I am certain that they will be central to the discussions that take place.

I represent the city of Leicester, as does the right hon. Member for Charnwood (Mr. Dorrell), who is sitting opposite. We have just been through a European election and, as he and the House know, the United Kingdom Independence party did extremely well in the east midlands. Its flag bearer, if I may call him that, Mr. Robert Kilroy-Silk, was elected at the top of the list for UKIP, which won a second seat. It is absolutely clear that it won its seats at the expense of the Conservative party and that the increase in the vote for UKIP was matched by a decrease in the vote for the Conservative party. That is primarily an issue for the Conservative party, and I think that it is the Conservatives' confusion over Europe that has led to the rise of UKIP. As a Labour Member of Parliament, I take enormous pleasure in any set of circumstances that causes the Conservative party to get fewer votes. However, although UKIP will damage the Conservative party in the short run, in the long run it will damage the country. It has slogans rather than a manifesto, and its election campaign was based entirely on slogans.

I do not recall receiving many leaflets from UKIP in Leicester, but I remember the television soundbites. The trouble with such campaigns is that they give rise to a great bubble that suddenly bursts. The responsibility for those of us who believe that Britain should remain in Europe is to challenge UKIP's slogans. The primary responsibility for that rests with the Government, who must push the European agenda forward.

It would be great if the Opposition were to join the Government in that task. In the run-up to enlargement, the shadow Minister for Europe joined my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe and the Liberal Democrat spokesman in launching a large poster welcoming enlargement. I was delighted at that cross-party unity.

I was also pleased to hear the Leader of the Opposition attack UKIP. He made it clear that the Conservative party believed that Britain's future was in Europe. I had not heard him say that before, in the House or outside it, and so it is clear that UKIP has a function—to remind the Conservative party of what might happen if Britain were to leave the EU.

The right hon. Member for Wells is very critical of the constitution and of the Government. As a member of the Opposition, he is entitled to be so, but I do not think that even he believes that Britain should leave the EU. If
 
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he did, he would not want to remain in the Conservative party but would much prefer to join Mr. Kilroy-Silk and the other UKIP members.

As my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) said, it is important not to dismiss the election results. We should listen to what the people have said. Euroscepticism is on the rise because we are afraid to talk about European issues, either in the House or outside it. That is shown by the small number of hon. Members present for this debate.

European issues will be crucial for Britain over the next few years, and it is therefore vital that we campaign on them. Ministers must be prepared to do what my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe has done so successfully over the past two years—that is, they should talk to the British people about the benefits of EU membership.

If the constitution is agreed to this weekend—if my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister decides that it is in Britain's interests to sign up to it—I hope that every member of the Government will show the same passion and eloquence that he displayed at the Dispatch Box when he announced that there was to be a referendum on the constitution. The European issue is of importance to every portfolio held by every Minister.

Going out and campaigning on these matters should not be left only to the Minister for Europe and the Foreign Secretary. Ministers from all Departments attend the meetings of the Minicor committee, and the Minister for Europe will know that the message must be got across to the British people. If that does not happen, there will be a further rise in Euroscepticism, and the only arguments advanced will be those put forward by the Eurosceptics. That will damage the Conservative party, and the whole of Britain. We must make sure that that does not happen.

I know that my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe will do his best at the summit meeting, and I hope that an agreement is reached. There was concern that that might not happen, and that discussion of the matter would have to be adjourned until the next presidency begins later in the year. That would be a dreadful outcome: we must conclude the debate and reach a decision, so that we can move on.

The Opposition banged on for several months about the need for a referendum. The Prime Minister has given the country an opportunity to pass judgment on the constitution. Of course there will be parliamentary scrutiny: that is inevitable, as a Bill will have to go through the House. Moreover, I am certain that the matter will be dealt with on the Floor of the House, so that every hon. Member can participate in the debate. After that, we have to have a referendum campaign that informs the people, and whether it comes before or after the general election does not really matter since we have a timetable for two years. What is essential is that we are prepared to put the arguments before the British people so that they know exactly what we have planned for them and agree with it. Their ownership of the European project is absolutely crucial. We can pass all the Bills we want or have all the ministerial statements we want, but if we do not carry the people and do not explain the benefits of being in the European Union, we will not have a people who believe that they are stakeholders in the project.
 
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I very much hope that the campaign will start as soon as possible. I hope that it will not be a short campaign; I hope for a long campaign interwoven with the domestic agenda, because Europe delivers on the domestic agenda, too, which people forget, thinking that it is something quite separate. Many of the things we do are relevant to what happens in Brussels, and vice versa.

Will the Minister tell us the Government's position on the appointment of a new President of the Commission? There has been a lot of speculation about who that might be. One candidate is the former Prime Minister of Belgium, who recently lost his election. Other candidates are in the frame: Mr. Chris Patten has been mooted. Whoever it is, I should hate the decision to be taken in haste, but we should know who will succeed Romano Prodi. If necessary, we should have a debate in the House: there would be nothing wrong in debating the choice once the Government have made their decision; indeed, it would be a very good idea.

We need to know whom Britain is supporting, and we need to know the name of our new Commissioner. Again, there has been a lot of speculation. I am not making a bid for the job, I assure the House.

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