HC Deb 26 June 1974 vol 875 cc1549-54
35. Mr. Dixon

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give further details on the method whereby the people will be consulted following his renegotiation of United Kingdom membership of the Common Market.

Mr. Hattersley

As my right hon. Friend told the House on 11th June, we shall have to wait and see how circumstances develop on this issue before we decide on the precise form of consultation. It will be either a referendum or—possibly—a General Election.

Mr. Dixon

Can the hon. Gentleman help some of my hon. Friends who are rather confused as to precisely what the policy of the Labour Party is? Is he aware that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry has stated that it is Labour Party policy to have a referendum, and only a referendum? Does the hon. Gentleman agree with the view expressed by his right hon. Friend?

Mr. Hattersley

The policy of the Government is to consult the British people in one form or another. It is in that particular that our Common Market policy is so different from that of the Opposition. As to whether that consultation will take the form of a referendum or a General Election, I can only repeat what the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I have said. The likelihood is that it will be a referendum. But that likelihood is not yet a certainty.

Mr. William Hamilton

If it is to be a referendum, will my hon. Friend say how we can be certain that the British electorate will answer the question that is put to them, or will answer any question at all, for that matter?

Mr. Hattersley

I think that the British people will be much more likely to answer a question directly related to the Common Market in a referendum than they would at a General Election concerned with other matters. Clearly, many millions of British people will want to vote Labour in view of the splendid record of the Government in which I serve. Understanding that feeling, one ought to give them the opportunity to decide about the Common Market on terms which are not clouded by their normal party preferences.

Mr. Rippon

If there were to be a referendum, how would the question to be put to the British nation be framed, and who would frame it?

Mr. Hattersley

It is early days to be asking such questions. When I tried to venture into the question of the administration of a referendum, I was virtually asked what colour the ballot boxes would be. I do not think that we are ready to give that sort of answer yet.

36. Mr. Marten

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the Common Market negotiations.

32. Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement about the progress of renegotiation of United Kingdom membership of the EEC.

41. Mr. Dykes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he has taken since his statement of 4th June to renegotiate the terms of United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.

43. Mr. Biffen

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest discussions at the Council of Ministers on the renegotiation of United Kingdom membership of the EEC.

45. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement about his EEC negotiations.

46. Mr. Stanley

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress with the renegotiation of Great Britain's terms of entry into the EEC.

47. Mr. Adley

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on current negotiations with the EEC.

49. Mr. Kenneth Clarke

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on the progress of the renegotiation of Great Britain's terms of entry into the European Community.

50. Mr. Body

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the progress being made in the renegotiation with the EEC.

52. Mr. Molloy

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on EEC discussions leading to renegotiations of the terms of Great Britain's entry; and if he will make a further statement.

53. Mr. Marquand

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a further statement on his negotiations with the EEC.

Mr. Hattersley

Since my right hon. Friend's statement to the Council on 4th June, copies of which were placed in the Vote Office, there have been meetings in Luxembourg of the Development Cooperation and Agriculture Councils, at which we set out in greater detail our renegotiation objectives in the field of aid and on the Common Agricultural Policy. We also pursued our renegotiation aims under several agenda items at yesterday's Foreign Ministers' Council.

Mr. Marten

At the next meeting of the Foreign Ministers, which seems to be on 22nd and 23rd July, will the hon. Gentleman raise the question of a possible move to federalism in the EEC? I asked the Foreign Secretary whether he would oppose any move towards federalism and he gave a rather woolly reply. Will the Minister of State now give a clear undertaking—I hope that the Conservative Party will on its own behalf do the same—that the Government will block any move towards federalism—the real issue which the whole Common Market debate is about?

Mr. Hattersley

I am sure that some of the hon. Gentlemen's right hon. and hon. Friends would not be happy to find him limiting the debate to such precise lines, but I give an absolute assurance that the Government have been critical of the movement towards over-hasty federation and over-hasty political union, that this continues to be our position, and that it will be advanced robustly by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

Dr. J. Dickson Mabon

Since my hon. Friend has confirmed that no EFTA country wishes us to leave the Common Market and that there is virtual unanimity among Commonwealth countries that we should stay in.—[HON. MEMBERS "No."] If I have misinterpreted what my hon. Friend said, no doubt he will correct me. Since it is the case that all the EFTA countries wish us to remain in the Common Market, and Commonwealth countries are virtually unanimous in doing so, what is the position with regard to the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement in the renegotiations? The agreement finishes at the end of 1974. What is the position of the Government in relation to renegotiation of the agreement between the EEC and the sugar-producing countries of the Commonwealth? These are vital matters for them.

Mr. Hattersley

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear on 4th June, and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Overseas Development has confirmed, that we require, as a permanent future prospect in the Common Market, access of 1.4 million tons of sugar from the Commonwealth into the Community as a whole. It remains our position on the narrow point of Commonwealth sugar, but, of course, in the wider relationships between the Common Market and Commonwealth countries we expect the Common Market to provide improved aid and financial assistance for the Caribbean as well. That is one of our aims.

Mr. Dykes

These somewhat bizarre renegotiations have shown clearly that, on all rational arguments, the Community as a whole is prepared to see improvement in the terms of membership on any matters for any member country, including the United Kingdom. Is that not the real argument here, and not an argument in terms of helping the Labour Party through its internal struggles? Should not the hon. Gentleman consider some of the other pressing priorities in the Community, which are more important than some of these spurious renegotiation aspects to which the Foreign Secretary is so addicted at present, such as, for example—[HON. MEMBERS: "Too long."]—a centralised European approach to the problems of inflation; such as—

Mr. Speaker

Order. That is enough.

Mr. Hattersley

The Government have made it clear that so long as our renegotiation objectives are not impaired and impeded we shall continue to take part in full in the on-going business of the EEC. In the not too distant future, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be discussing one of the subjects to which the hon. Gentleman has referred. But since we believe that this House has a rôle in these matters, the House will have the opportunity to discuss it first. That seems to be the right balance between preserving the interests of Britain and preserving the interests of the EEC.

Mr. Skinner

Will my hon. Friend accept that settling the matter by this House is not the most admirable way to do things, as was shown last time, in October 1971? Will he further accept that when the renegotiations have been completed, taking into account that this may be after the next General Election, the only satisfactory way of deciding what words should go on the ballot paper for the proposed referendum is to have them decided by that democratic body, the Labour Party Conference, which will remove all the uncertainty that arises out of exchanges between my hon. Friend and the pro-Marketeer sitting behind him?

Mr. Hattersley

Both my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) and I have been members of the Labour Party for 25 years. I am not prepared to accept many criticisms of the party or the conference, but I think that, on reflection, my hon. Friend will agree with me that of all the virtues possessed by the Labour Party conference, drafting referenda questions is probably not one of them.

Several Hon. Members rose

—

Mr. Speaker

Question No. 38.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker

I shall take points of order at the end of Question Time.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. My Question was grouped with Question No. 36.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I shall take points of order at the end of Question Time.

Later—

Mr. Biggs-Davison

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, I do not propose to raise an infructuous point of order.

Mr. Speaker

That is very wise. That is an example that I hope will be followed.