EU budget: Focus on Labour’s chutzpah

The opening exchanges of the Commons debate on the EU budget were, on the whole, rather good for the Prime Minister. They involved Greg Clark making a concerted attack on Labour’s ‘opportunist’ decision to call for a real-terms cut and to support Mark Reckless’ amendment calling for just that. Without irony, Chris Leslie then told the Chamber that Clark was being ‘partisan’ in his speech.

This put Clark and the backbenchers sitting behind him on the defensive. The debate became about Labour rather than the government’s own stance on the issue. Loyal MPs including Nadhim Zahawi pressed Leslie on whether he himself would back a veto at the budget summit if European leaders failed to agree a freeze or a cut. Clark asked him directly whether he would do so. Leslie replied:

‘We have three weeks of negotiations…’

Tory MPs loved this, and united in jeering. Zahawi was particularly excited, roaring, rocking back and forth, and slapping his thighs.