Britain will defend national interests

BRITAIN’S new coalition government will defend its national interests in Brussels but has no appetite for an early bust-up with its European partners, according to Europe minister David Lidington.

A former Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Lidington was in Dublin this week to meet Government officials and members of the Oireachtas and to address the Institute of International and European Affairs.

“The riding instructions I have are to be vigorous in defending and enhancing British interests, to be positive in engagement with Europe and demonstrating in what I do and say that we see no contradiction between a stout defence of British national interests and bringing forward ideas that are in the common interest of every member-state of the EU collectively and championing those ideas,” he told The Irish Times.

Mr Lidington expressed the hope that London and Dublin would work closely together on EU issues, particularly those surrounding the internal market and business regulation. The coalition government has pledged to follow Ireland’s lead by legislating to require a referendum on any treaty change that transfers powers from Britain to the European institutions.

During the election campaign, the Conservatives promised to negotiate the repatriation of some powers from Brussels but the coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats demands only that the new government should examine the balance of responsibilities between London and Brussels. Mr Lidington acknowledged that there was no guarantee that his government would try to repatriate any powers.

“The language in the coalition agreement leaves the conclusion open,” he said. “It says that we will conduct that examination and be guided by the evidence.”

Britain has “a firm red line” against telling the European Commission what will be in the budget before it is announced in the House of Commons. Here too, however, Mr Lidington sees room for manoeuvre that should be enough to avoid a clash over plans to share budget details in advance with other EU finance ministers.

“We put out into the open a pre-budget report in the autumn and the initiative just taken by the new government has been to establish an Office of Budget Responsibility that is taking over from ministers’ responsibility for growth forecasts for the United Kingdom,” he said.

“And we would argue that pretty much all the information which our partners would want to see is going to be there and available. But the actual budget measures – they’re not the budget until the Chancellor announces them in the House of Commons.”