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Sir Gerald Kaufman (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab): Was it not churlish of the Prime Minister not to congratulate the Leader of the Opposition on his first anniversary as leader, since the right hon. and learned Gentleman will not be around to celebrate a second anniversary?
Mr. Speaker: Order. The right hon. Gentleman is out of order. I call Sir Stuart Bell.
Sir Stuart Bell (Middlesbrough) (Lab): I am grateful, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity of answering a question on behalf of the Prime Minister.
However, the Prime Minister, in his statement, referred to our strong relationship with the United States and our strong place in the European Union's Councils. He said that that was Government policy and that it was in our national interest, but were there not siren voices in the Council indicating that competition between the European Union and the United States was a better policy than competition and collaboration? Will he not reiterate that that transatlantic co-operation and closeness to which he referred should also be the policy of the entire European Union?
The Prime Minister: Obviously, I agree with my hon. Friend. In so far as there are any voices saying that Europe should try to set up a rival pole of power to the United States, I think that it is far better that we co-operate strongly together. Of course, that is another reason why it is important for Britain to stay part of the European Union and a key player in Europe. It cannot be stressed too often that many countries around the table in Europelet us remember that 12 out of the 25 have troops in Iraqare strong supporters of the transatlantic alliance and need Britain arguing that case with them.
Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con):
Will the Prime Minister now answer the core argument in the letter of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, which is that an attack on Sunni-held Falluja by mainly Shi'a militia, under cover of American firepower, far
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from making it more likely that there will be peaceful elections there in January, will prove dangerously divisive for the future social and political unity of Iraq?
The Prime Minister: That is simply not the case. It is not the Sunni-held town of Falluja: the town is held hostage by terrorists and insurgents. If they stopped and laid down their weapons, that town would have its own municipal democratic elections, and the town as a whole could participate in the Iraqi elections. Surely what the hon. Gentleman and every democrat should say is, "There is no need to fight; if you believe in what you are doing, stand in the elections." What Prime Minister Allawi would say to him is that the very purpose of the terrorists, many of whom are not Iraqi, never mind from Falluja, is to stop the democratic process. Surely all of us who are democrats, whatever we think about the war, should agree with the Iraqi Government.
Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough) (Lab): Many of us feel that since the American elections there is an even greater need for very close integration with Europeans on our foreign policy. Was my right hon. Friend able to secure the full backing of European Union partners for our aid and development programme, and particularly our concentration on Africa, for when we hold the presidencywe hopeof both the European Union and the G8 next year?
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is right to say that aid and development are an important element of our partnership in the European Union. I believe that there is wholehearted support for that, and I also believe that there is support for it in the United States of America. It is important, therefore, for us to use not just the EU presidency but the G8 presidency to further that agenda. As my hon. Friend will know, we have selected climate change and Africa as the two key subjects for our G8 presidency.
Sir Teddy Taylor (Rochford and Southend, East) (Con): Given widespread concern about the appalling situation in Iraq extending and not being contained, will the Prime Minister and the European Council make it abundantly clear that we are wholly opposed to the bombing or invasion of Iran by America, Israel or anyone else? Will he seek to remind his friend President Bush that it is only a few years since the Americans were supporting, and providing weapons of mass destruction for, their then friend Saddam Hussein so that he could invade Iran?
The Prime Minister: No one is talking about an invasion of Iran. No one has ever talked about it, to my knowledge. I think it is completely absurd of us to talk in this way. However, it is obviously important for Iran to face up to its obligations under the International Atomic Energy Agency. It should also be recognised that our reasons for taking action against Saddam Husseingoing back over 12 or 13 yearswere his invasion of Kuwait, his defiance of United Nations resolutions, and the plain intent that he had to develop weapons that cause immense damage not just to the middle east but to the wider world.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) (Lab):
Is the Prime Minister aware that, now that we have these statements
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on European summits, no onewith the exception of the leader of the Liberal Democratsseems to care about the euro or the single currency any more? Are there any long faces when he meets these people? There has been all this talk about our having to join. Seven and a half years have elapsed, and we have kept our promise. I hope everyone understands that. Will the Prime Minister tell them that, at least until the next election, we will not have anything to do with it, and will leave the Liberal Democrats to play with their own little toys?
The Prime Minister: I will not put it exactly like that, but my hon. Friend makes an important point. For years we have been told, particularly by the Conservatives, that our ability to decide whether we want to join the single currency will somehow be taken away by Europe. The fact is that we have that rightwe have it absolutelyand we have made it clear that in the end it is a decision for the British people.
Mr. William Cash (Stone) (Con): The Prime Minister referred to Wim Kok and his indictment of the way in which Europe has been going. He has also referred to the CBI. He will know that today the president of the CBI issued a similar indictment. He also knows that David Arculus, the head of his own Better Regulation Task Force, has said that this is costing £100 billion a year in over-regulation, much of which emanates from the EU. Does he accept that in the past seven years he and his Government have agreed to a large number of those regulations? Does he also accept that he can therefore do something about it? He can use the powers of this legislative Chamberthis House of Commonsin the interests of British business, which is becoming increasingly angry, to repeal or amend any of the legislation that is having such an impact on British business.
The Prime Minister: Let me make two points. First, I do not think the director-general of the CBI would agree with the hon. Gentleman's views on Europe, whatever he says about European regulation.
Mr. Cash: It was the president.
The Prime Minister: Or indeed the president, for that matter.
Secondly, of course, regulation has been agreed by this Government in the European Union and indeed by the previous Government in the European Union, which I know was not much to the hon. Gentleman's liking either, but it is important to recognise that the only way that we can get Europe to take a better and more sensible view of regulation is to be in there and to be part of it. The alternative is to get out of Europe altogether. I think that he probably would favour that in the end, but it would not be in the interests of British business and British jobs. I do not think that the CBI would opt for that either.
Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) (Lab):
Does not my right hon. Friend agree that the importance of the Lisbon agenda is that, for the first time, it set out benchmarks for economic reform in the EU? The purpose of the Kok
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report was, rightly, to praise countries such as Britain that have risen to the challenge of economic reform and to criticise others that have failed to do so. It is an opportunity to ensure that those who have not moved forward will do so by the time of the mid-term review next spring and indeed during our presidency.
The Prime Minister: That is absolutely right. It is worth pointing out that it is not simply Britain that has undertaken economic reform but Spain, Denmark, Holland and other countries. A huge reform programme is under way in Germany, tackling really difficult issues. The purpose of the Wim Kok report was to say not that everything in Europe is hopeless but that, on the contrary, there was a certain amount of progress but there needed to be much more.
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