MPs must grill Cameron’s EU Commissioner choice

David Cameron continues to allow his Party to drift towards the fringes of the EU, and the extremes of the political debate in Europe.

Since the recent European elections, his MEPs have defied his orders and joined forces with the controversial Danish Peoples’ Party and the Finns Party, both of whom are seen as having political and social views which place them on the fringe of European politics. We knew he was unable or unwilling to control his Eurosceptic backbenchers on Europe, but now it seems he’s lost control of his MEPs too.

Just last week Tory MEPs also admitted the AfD party to their grouping in the European Parliament. The AfD are Angela Merkel’s electoral opponents in Germany, and the decision has proved an unnecessary and unhelpful strain on a key alliance at a crucial time. What started as a political management problem for David Cameron risks turning into a crisis between Britain and one of our most crucial European allies, and now it is Britain’s influence and standing in Europe that is at risk of being undermined as a result.

But it’s not just his approach to Britain’s alliances in Europe which appears confused. In the coming weeks David Cameron will nominate his choice for Britain’s next European Commissioner, but he’s failed to be clear about how that decision will be scrutinised.

Many people will rightly think it is odd that whilst the Prime Minister’s choice can be questioned by MEPs in the European Parliament, no such opportunity exists to allow the British people – through the House of Commons – to directly assess their suitability for the role or to scrutinise them beforehand.

In a speech in April, I called on the Prime Minister to give Parliament the chance to question his nomination for the next UK Commissioner before they were nominated formally to the role. That would give MPs from all sides the same chance as MEPs in the European Parliament to pose serious questions to the candidate, particularly on the issue of reforming Europe to make it work better from Britain.

Alongside this additional scrutiny, Labour believes that here in Britain, we need to enhance the way that the UK Parliament considers EU issues more generally. Too often, key EU-wide proposals are debated long after they have first been proposed, and far into their journey through the EU institutions. So the UK Parliament should be allowed to hold a dedicated debate on upcoming European Council meetings, and Labour would consult on whether to establish a European Union Affairs Select Committee to explore these issues more widely.

So far David Cameron has refused to say whether he supports Labour’s proposals for reform. In the run up to next week’s EU Council, now is the time for David Cameron to come clean about what reforms he wants to see in Europe, and what changes he is going to make back home.

Otherwise, as Britain’s next EU Commissioner sets off to Brussels in the autumn, they may have nothing other than the Prime Minister five vague principles for reform as their guide.

A new Commission and a new Parliament offer a real opportunity for Britain to now push for reform, and Labour want to see a Commissioner from Britain who is determined to use their position to seize that moment, not squander it.