At this morning’s Cabinet meeting, ministers discussed tomorrow’s debate on the EU budget, which is shaping up to be a big row. MPs I have spoken to who have either signed or are considering putting their names to the amendment calling for a real-terms cut in the budget have found their whips to be in quite a flap about the issue. Even though it might be convenient for the Prime Minister to use a vote in parliament calling for a cut as a weapon at the budget summit itself, the party leadership is clearly sufficiently nervous to have pushed for a rival amendment from Jacob Rees-Mogg and Peter Bone. The amendment adds the following to the end of the full motion:
‘…further regrets the substantial increase in the UK’s net contribution to the EU in the previous financial perspective; reject proposals for EU financial transaction taxes, and calls on the Government to veto anything other than a cut or freeze in the seven year MFF.’
This is essentially the position that the Prime Minister is already taking as he heads into the negotiations: that anything more than an increase matching inflation will get the veto.
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