European Communities (Finance) Bill

I did not listen to that speech, but I do not think for a moment that the Foreign Secretary suggested that north African countries should join the European Union. He was taking about a free trade agreement, which is a different matter, and something that we already have with a number of countries outside the European Union. The hon. Gentleman has got that speech wrong; perhaps he would like to look at the record again and get it right. As for further enlargement, the only country for which that is more or less established is Croatia, a small country that will create minimal and insignificant strains on the budget. Beyond that, Serbia and Moldova are possibilities. There is great scepticism about going much further than that. That is a different point, however, and you will correct me, Mr. Deputy Speaker, if I get dragged down into discussion of the natural limits of enlargement. When I left the Conservative party, I said that it had become irretrievably cynical and opportunistic, and this evening's debate has shown how true that judgment was. There are only two possibilities: either the Conservative party is engaged in deliberate obfuscation or it is extremely confused. Its policies on the European Union generally, and enlargement specifically, completely lack coherence. It says that it is in favour of enlargement, but it is not prepared to pay for it.