UK Tories say 'no no no' to EU evidence sharing

By Martha Moss - 28th July 2010

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As reported in our press review earlier this week, the right-wing UK press have been up in arms over plans to provide EU police forces with 'Big Brother' surveillance powers.

And eurosceptic MPs were in full swing in yesterday's House of Commons debate, when Britain's home secretary Theresa May unveiled plans to adopt the European investigation order (EIO), which allows EU police forces to demand evidence held in other member states.

May appeared nervous during the debate, particularly after receiving warm praise from the opposition Labour party.

The Tories "had opposed the European arrest warrant principally, I believe, because it contained the word 'European'," shadow home secretary Alan Johnson told May. "I'm glad you aren't repeating that mistake."

Anticipating the less-than-enthusiastic reaction which was to come from within her own party, May ended her statement insisting that the EIO "does not amount to a loss of sovereignty". "It will not unduly burden the police. It does not incur a loss of civil liberties," she told MPs.

But reflecting Tory disquiet over "another power grab by Brussels", Jacob Rees-Mogg asked how Britain could "be certain that we will not cede powers to Europe?"

To warm applause from fellow Tories, he recounted the words of the party's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

He said, "Does the home secretary recall the words of a great and noble lady who, when Europe was trying to snatch powers, once said from that very despatch box, 'No, no, no'? Is not that a much preferable way in which to approach a further European grab?"

In the run-up to the UK general election, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg criticised his future bed buddy for his links with "nutters, homophobes and anti-Semites" in the European parliament.

And this latest row suggests that Europe will remain something of a divisive issue for the coalition government - not just between Clegg's centre-left Liberal Democrats and traditional Tory eurosceptics, but within the Conservative party as well.