News Release

21st April 2004

FABRICANT WELCOMES BLAIR STATEMENT

Michael Fabricant has welcomed the Prime Minister's U-turn on a referendum on the European Constitution. "Whatever his reasons, and I suspect they have more to do with expedience than principle, I welcome Tony Blair's decision to hold a referendum" says Michael.

"The Constitution as it stands at present is bad for Britain and the people of the west midlands. I think Blair is beginning to realise this. The facts are these:

"Firstly, the EU Constitution would increasingly transfer power over our asylum system to Brussels. European judges would decide how we deal with asylum seekers and it would become impossible for us to change international treaties to adapt international asylum rules to modern circumstances. This could have a detrimental effect on our national security. Secondly, the EU Constitution would mean that the EU would decide what people's rights were on arrest. At present it is our Parliament and judicial system which sets these rights and laws. Our rights on arrest, how much time some prisoners serve and some criminal laws (such as those on fraud or trafficking and or any cross border organized crime) will be decided in Brussels, not Britain.

"The EU Constitution would increasingly give powers to unelected European judges under the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights. European judges could tear down our Trade Union laws, replacing our industrial relations framework with a more European one, such as those in France - taking us back to the bad old days of the seventies.

"It would establish an EU President and EU Foreign Minister with his own diplomatic corps. He or she would represent the EU to the rest of the world. That would mean the Prime Minister and Government, which we elect, would increasingly take a back seat and Britain's interests would be lumped in with every member state's.

"Finally, the EU Constitution would give the EU a new status - making it all but a European federal state. Under these arrangements Britain's place in the EU would be on the verge of becoming akin to California's place in the US. The ultimate authority over our lives would be Brussels and not be Parliament answerable to the British people.