The link with the EPP gives us real throw-weight, without which I could not have removed the discredited Commissioners in 1999, and also key chairmanships such as my election-monitoring mission to Palestine next week. We are completely free to follow the manifesto on which we were elected, in which Michael Howard committed us to the EPP link until 2009.

Also, the story suggests that only a quarter of Tory MEPs want to remain in the alliance with the EPP. The reverse is the case. By re-electing Timothy Kirkhope as leader of the delegation by 18 votes to seven – he had re-timed his election to coincide with David Cameron’s to give him a mandate to negotiate our continued alliance with the EPP – there is a clear majority for the alliance to which both Timothy and I committed ourselves at the Conservative Yorkshire region AGM last September.

The fact is that the ‘H’ block in our delegation, led by Telegraph leader-writer Dan Hannan MEP and including Roger Helmer MEP (from whom Timothy has removed the Whip) have obsessively worked on London to this end as part of their ‘Britain out’ strategy since their election in 1999. I wish they had put as much effort into representing their constituents in areas where the European Parliament actually does have decisive powers.

Mr Edward McMillan-Scott MEP (Yorkshire & Humber, Cons)
Vice President, European Parliament
Leader of the Conservative MEPs 1997 – 2001