CONSERVATIVE PARTY'S MEMBERSHIP OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S PARTY

Motion Text

That this House notes that on 24th November 2005, in a bid to win the support of the eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party, the right hon. Member for Witney pledged that if elected leader of the Conservative Party he would withdraw his party from the centre right, European People's Party in the European Parliament, a policy described by Conservative MEP Sir Robert Atkins as `cloud-cuckoo land'; is concerned that this would leave the Conservatives choosing between political isolation or an alliance with the homophobic Polish Law and Justice Party, the Dutch Christian Union, which opposes women standing for election, and the Nationalist Latvian For Fatherland and Freedom Party, who want to ban foreigners from working in schools; fears that if Conservative MEPs abandon the political mainstream British MEPs will lose influence; is therefore glad that the right hon. Member for Witney has so far failed to deliver on his promise; and welcomes the Conservative leader's first major international flip-flop.