Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
In the future, EU governments should present one male and one female candidate to the post of Commissioner in order to enable the President of the Commission to ensure gender balance in the European Commission. This is one of the key recommendations of a resolution drafted by Labour MEP Richard Corbett and approved today by […]
Amid all the debate about what reforms we should want in the EU, it’s as well to remember that there are some things we do quite well at European level — and even a few that we do much better than back home in our individual countries! One example is the way we vet our […]
European countries are discussing whether to adopt a single policy on farm animal cloning for the single market. Since all EU laws need the approval both of national ministers and elected MEPs, the European Parliament will be voting next week on a proposal to ban the cloning of farm animals. Labour MEPs are of the […]
With several news outlets reporting this morning that Cameron is rethinking his plan to attack workers’ rights, Labour has made its position clear: It was never going to be a good idea to try to build support for the EU based on a bonfire of workers’ rights. Strong economies should have decent rights for people […]
Question Section 104(a)(2) of the US Trade Act of 2015, signed into law by President Obama on 29 June, provides that the US Trade Representative shall consult the US Congress before the ratification of any trade agreement, and keep Congress ‘fully apprised of the measures a trading partner has taken to comply with those provisions […]
I spent part of the summer in the USA, where I had meetings with members of Congress in Washington. One of the main subjects we discussed was, of course, the ongoing negotiations for a transatlantic trade deal known as TTIP. I also met the US negotiators and the EU’s ambassador to the USA. It was […]
LabourList have published an extended essay of mine about the current economic situation. Across Europe – from Spain to Scotland, from the Labour leadership contest to the situation in Greece – this is turning into a central political question. No party of the left can support savage cuts to essential benefits, nor to vital investments […]
The rhetoric: “[Ever-closer union] may appeal to some countries. But it is not right for Britain, and we must ensure we are no longer subject to it.” The reality: “The concept of ‘ever-closer union’ allows for different paths of integration for different countries, allowing those that want to deepen integration to move ahead, while respecting […]
It’s a pleasure to receive well-argued representations from constituents on genuine issues. Here is one such message I received recently from Millie Hall of East Yorkshire, on the subject of whaling by Faroese people. I expect you are aware of the continued whaling in the Faroe Islands as pictures hit the media recently when around […]
Yesterday, I reported on the strongly pro-European stance adopted by Britain’s universities. Vice-chancellors are queueing up to raise the alarm about a possible Brexit, pointing out that a ‘No’ vote in the upcoming referendum would not only cut off a critical source of funding for their work, but would rip British researchers out of vital […]
The forthcoming referendum on our EU membership has made it all the more important that we concentrate on challenging misinformation. To do this convincingly, it’s crucial that we have a constellation of voices. Those in the No camp can easily laugh off politicians, but they find it far harder to laugh off businesspeople, charities, scientists, […]
My summer 2015 quarterly report.
I’m relieved that a deal has at last been reached – but it comes after weeks of considerable damage to the Greek economy. I have every sympathy with the Greek people, but no sympathy with the Greek government. The successive u-turns of the Syriza/far-right coalition have been hugely damaging: they seemingly agreed a package three […]
Policy Network today published my paper analysing Cameron’s reform agenda and the likelihood of success in each key area. The prime minister’s demands for the future of the EU vary hugely in relevance and plausibility. With the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU now a certainty, David Cameron now has to finally spell out […]
Question Is the Commission aware that the aggressive tactics of directory scams is continuing, with threatening letters being sent to victims who are being misled into signing what appears to be confirmation of the accuracy of the description of their company entered into the directory, but which also contains, in the small print, a concealed […]
The term ‘austerity’ features prominently in recent debates, whether we’re discussing Greece, Osborne’s spending cuts, or the Labour leadership election. But the term itself is rarely defined. Yet what we mean by ‘austerity’, and the circumstances in which various forms of it apply, are both crucial. For some, austerity has the precise meaning of ‘public […]
A long-awaited vote on TTIP in the European Parliament, unfortunately postponed from last month, has been rescheduled for this Wednesday. Just to reiterate the key points: A final draft of TTIP is not imminent — it is most probably years away. When the draft is completed, MEPs will have the power to accept or reject it. Depending on the content, it […]
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been visiting several major employers in Yorkshire & Humber, not least for discussions on how various EU policies and rules affect them. Reflecting on these experiences, two things strike me. The first is simply pride: I’m amazed by the diversity and international reach of the work that’s done […]
A year ago today, I took my seat as an MEP following the European elections. I commented at the time how similar it all felt to the first day back at school, with a few new pupils wandering the corridors in confusion, various playground manoeuvrings about who would end up in which gang, and everyone […]
My letter was published this morning in the Times: Sir, The claim by John Neimer (June 29) that the EU is centralised “just like the old USSR” is absurd. The EU can only act in those fields where its member states, all democracies, have conferred powers on it. Even then, any EU legislation requires the […]
My blog on Greece (originally on this website) has been republished as an article by Left Foot Forward: At first sight, the natural sympathies of many people, especially on the left, will be with Greece. Is this not a plucky little country, standing up to the IMF and the richer eurozone countries to oppose austerity […]
It seems that there are just hours left to avoid a drastic situation in Greece. At first sight, the natural sympathies of many people, especially on the left, will be with Greece. Is this not a plucky little country, standing up to the IMF and the richer eurozone countries to oppose austerity politics? And there […]
We got a sneak preview on Wednesday of the underhand tactics UKIP intend to deploy in their attempts to whip up anti-European hysteria in the run-up to the planned referendum. Here’s the opening of a press release issuing forth from the office of Jonathan Arnott, UKIP MEP from the North East: ANGEL OF THE NORTH […]
