Parliamentary Standards Bill

As my noble friend Lord Jenkin has drawn my name into the discussion, I ought to make a modest contribution. The relationship in 1971-72 between the law of this country and the European law to which we were attaching ourselves was quite different from that which exists today. I hesitate to confirm the central meaning of the passage that my noble friend quoted. My impression is that it referred to what subsequently became the right of veto in Council meetings rather than in the courts. However, a lot has happened since then. The European Court has given judgments that have been translated into the law of this country, as was required. One cannot speculate about how this issue might find its way before either of the European Courts, still less how they would be likely to decide it. Therefore, I am by no means convinced of the need for a pre-emptive provision of this kind, because there are many other sets of provisions which might well have sought to include such a thing. I say no more than that, other than to express the hope of hearing from the noble and learned Baroness the Attorney-General, whose learning is far more established and credible than anything that might attach to me—it is some 37 years since I wore a wig in anger. I offer no advice as to the wisdom or unwisdom of what my noble friend has said, except to say that I look forward to hearing with interest anything that the Attorney-General might have to say. I do not think that I can say anything more or less useful than that.