John Baron MP supports Government efforts to reduce EU’s proposed budget

MP highlights UK’s £22bn increase over this Parliament

Today in the House of Commons, during a short debate on European budgets for 2014-2020, John Baron MP made clear his support for Government efforts to reduce EU-proposed budgets and what the UK was sacrificing in order to fund European largesse. The EU budget over the seven year period in question is set to reach €1,000bn – an above inflation increase.

John said,

“Our net contribution is set to rise from £19bn during the last Parliament to £41bn in this. This is madness and goes against the Government’s austerity measures. Such an increase could fund 750,000 new nurses or police officers, or 80 new hospitals. Alternatively, in order to encourage economic growth and jobs, it could also fund a five pence reduction in the basic rate of income tax or the complete elimination of small enterprise corporation tax.”

“Meanwhile, the EU Court of Auditors has not signed off the EU’s accounts for sixteen years. They have no detailed idea of how the money is spent. This does not happen in the private sector and it does not happen in Government. It should therefore not happen in the EU.”

“The Government’s bottom line is that there should be no increase above inflation to the EU’s budget. But be careful what you wish for. With the Eurozone toying with the idea of printing money as a way out of its troubles, inflation could be heading up and may well exceed the five per cent increase being proposed by the EU Commission. Instead, the Government should be aiming for deep cuts in the proposed budget.”