European Union (Amendment) Bill

moved Amendment No. 2: 2: After Clause 6, insert the following new Clause— ““Parliamentary control of decisions consequent upon any EU member state’s failure to ratify the Treaty (1) The Secretary of State shall report at least quarterly to Parliament on any negotiations in the Council of Ministers or the European Council, or with EU partners, designed to secure ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon by all EU member states in the event of any member state failing to ratify the Treaty. (2) A Minister of the Crown may not commit the United Kingdom to new obligations, or alter the obligations of the United Kingdom, or agree in the Council of Ministers or the European Council or informally to any non-Treaty proposal, undertaking or document designed to secure ratification of the Treaty by an EU member state that had previously failed to ratify the Treaty, unless Parliamentary approval has been given in accordance with this section. (3) Parliamentary approval is given if— (a) in each House of Parliament a Minister of the Crown moves a motion that the House approves of Her Majesty’s government’s intention to commit the United Kingdom to new obligations, or to alter the obligation of the United Kingdom, and (b) each House agrees to the motion without amendment.”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, we have now decided to endorse a leap into the unknown. What do I mean by that? During our debates, the Minister has paid tribute to the extent to which we have probed and have had discussions. But the theme running through many of our debates has been the known unknowns. What is going to happen has been the question dominating so many of our debates. That has reached a crescendo with the decisions that the House has taken today. This amendment standing in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Howell of Guildford seeks to establish parliamentary control over events which will now take place. We have heard from the Minister that the Prime Minister will come to the elected House, the other place—she believes on Monday, but whenever the discussions have concluded—and will report. This amendment seeks to make it clear that Parliament will decide on the future course of action. Subsection (2) of the new clause in Amendment No. 2 states: "““A Minister of the Crown may not commit the United Kingdom to new obligations, or alter the obligations of the United Kingdom, or agree””," to anything, in effect, "““unless Parliamentary approval has been given””." As we do not know what will happen, we should entrench the view, which I think came from all sides of the House, that this is not a problem just for one country. It is a problem for the European Union. I know that we have a new Prime Minister. We have not heard much about what Tony Blair said when he made a speech following the French referendum result. I recall that he said: "““As the problems of the citizen grew ever more pressing, instead of bold policy reform and decisive change, we locked ourselves in a room at the top of the tower and debated things no ordinary citizen could understand … there became a growing mood amongst European people, that Europe, unable to solve its actual problems, took to solving imaginary ones … This finally took grip … The evening of the French result, I remember being ""in Italy with friends, and someone saying, in despair at the vote: ‘what's wrong with them?’ meaning those who voted ‘no’. I said ‘I'm afraid the question is: ‘what's wrong with us?’ meaning ‘us’ the collective political leadership of Europe””." In many ways, there is now an opportunity to lift people’s minds above the minutiae, whether it is the collapse of the Third Pillar, or the streamlining or tidying up of certain procedures. Can we not now embark on a debate, for which I argued in one of the amendments that I proposed, to lift the hearts and minds of the people of this country and the peoples of Europe with a new vision, which entrenches for a lifetime to come the vision that we have all held of a peaceful and prosperous Europe? But it must be a Europe with which the people of Europe are comfortable, a Europe where its people are at ease with whatever is proposed. As I said to the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, when I quoted his foreword to that excellent analysis of the negotiations at the start, in many ways ill luck has bedevilled the history of the development of the European Union. It is about time that we got on to the front foot and became much more positive about what Europe means. It means so much to so many of us. It means a great deal to me that my party is the party of Europe and believes in the United Kingdom being at the heart of Europe. That is where I stand. But it can be achieved only if we persuade people. Tony Blair had that very much in mind. He was talking about the need after the constitution to lift the hearts and minds, and it has not happened. I recall that to the European Parliament he said: "““It is time to give ourselves a reality check. To receive the wake-up call. The people are blowing the trumpets round the city walls. Are we listening? Have we the political will to go out and meet them so that they regard our leadership as part of the solution not the problem?””." That went down very well indeed at the European Parliament. Let us try to revive some of that language, listen to the people of Europe and make sure that when the Prime Minister returns with, I hope, the way ahead, it will be up to this House and the other place to debate and approve what further steps are to be taken. I beg to move.