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23/04/2004
Blair Sends 'Big Guns' to Bring Labour MEPs Back Into Line

Following crucial votes in the European Parliament yesterday where Labour MEPs voted to support moves to increase British taxpayer contributions to the EU, the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Europe Minister Denis MacShane have today been sent to Brussels.

A report by the Labour MEP Terry Wyn on the future budgeting of the European Union calls for a 'general correction mechanism' based on the principle of 'Community solidarity' which would effectively open up the process for altering Member States' contributions to the EU and jeopardise the UK's rebate.

Conservative MEPs tabled an amendment which would cap Member States' contributions to 1% of GDP, but Labour MEPs voted against this despite the Prime Minister being one of the six European leaders that recently wrote to the Commission asking for a budget cap of 1.0% of GDP.

In a letter to Denis MacShane, the Europe Minister, Jonathan Evans MEP, Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament, said: "As you will know, in Strasbourg this week, your MEPs voted in favour of increasing Britain's contributions to the EU over and above one per cent of GDP. This is completely against your Government's policy, especially considering the Prime Minister recently wrote to the European Commission asking for a budget cap of one per cent of GDP.

"When will you reign in your MEPs and tell them to stop voting with their Socialist colleagues against Britain's interests? The splits between the Government and its MEPs must be bad if the Prime Minister has to send two of his Ministers over to the European Parliament to bring his MEPs back into line."

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