European Union (Amendment) Bill

No, I want to get through my contribution as rapidly as possible, which is only fair to other hon. Members. The second fundamental constitutional change is the obligation on national Parliaments, which we have discussed in previous debates. Other changes are the merger of the existing treaties into a Union with a legal personality, and the collapse of the pillars. The intergovernmental method is being done away with on certain matters in favour of the Community method, thereby vastly increasing the powers of the European Court of Justice. That is another fundamental change in the constitutional relationship between the UK and the EU. We are giving enormous additional power to the ECJ. The accumulation of the new constitutional powers and the reciting of the primacy of law in declaration 17 mean that, for the first time, we have reinforced case law within the framework of a treaty. That is another constitutional change of the first order. The division of competences lies at the heart of how the EU and the UK operate. A House of Lords Select Committee made a similar point about them. Competences are the powers that are provided, and if we give powers to the EU, we are taking them away from the UK. I am not talking about specific powers, which are bad enough in themselves—for instance, the charter of fundamental rights was another constitutional change of the first order. I am saying, in essence, that changing the division of competences moves powers between the UK and the EU. I am clear about that, as are all other constitutional authorities. Even the Foreign Secretary admitted that there would be constitutional changes, some of which I do not like. They are predicated on the assumption that the EU will rather arrogantly say that it will be good enough to give us new powers in relation to the national Parliaments. Well, thank you very much, but we are a national Parliament that has been going for quite a long time. We have a history and a constitutional system that has stood the test of time and saved Europe from itself in two world wars—[Interruption.] Oh yes. The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) should not shake his head—