Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2015
I am pleased to contribute to this debate and to speak in support of Claire Baker’s amendment.
At a time when countries are fighting for their right to be part of Europe and clinging on to the European Union, the Conservative Party is threatening to pull Britain out of Europe. Although there is much debate about Britain’s place in Europe, we have to recognise that we are much stronger, and Europe is much stronger, if we work together. Membership of the EU gives us many benefits, and leaving the European Union would only be detrimental to that prosperity. Our relationship is a give-and-take one; its symbiotic nature is what allows such great progress. That partnership with the EU is necessary in order to solve the challenges that present themselves, which are best dealt with by working together.
Economically, EU membership allows access to a single market with millions of people and numerous opportunities for investment and increased competitiveness. Leaving that single market would not be in our best interests. It involves 3 million jobs, 25,000 companies, £200 billion in exports each year and £450 billion in investments. That is what we have to show for our ties to Europe.
We must welcome any changes that might be beneficial to the European Union, the United Kingdom and Scotland. The employment and social aspects in the “Annual Growth Survey 2015”, which was put to a vote in the European Parliament last week, failed to gain the necessary support as a result of the negative votes from Conservative, Liberal Democrat and UKIP MEPs, and abstentions on the part of the SNP and the Greens.
Precarious employment situations, such as zero-hours contracts, affect nearly 1.4 million UK workers. The rights of the workers and supporting the favourable changes that the EU is trying to make for the good of the member states are important.
It is clear that the benefits of continuing our membership of the European Union are numerous. That close relationship with Europe is essential to both parties and it is undoubtedly crucial to our interests to stay part of that relationship.
It was suggested by the Smith commission that Scotland be allowed to have a greater influence over UK policy positions with regard to Europe. With that in mind, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Angela Constance, represented the UK at the EU education, youth, culture and sport council in December last year. That direct engagement demonstrates that Scotland’s voice plays an important role on European issues.
Our place in the world is not defined by being a part of Europe but it is strengthened by it. The key is to keep the United Kingdom in the EU and improve on the position so that we can maximise the progress that we—the UK and the EU—can make together.
There is no doubt that EU membership brings many advantages to Scotland. While the future of the United Kingdom undoubtedly lies within the EU, we need to be leading the way for an improved European Union rather than threatening to leave it. I believe that the EU should take the lead in issues such as tackling exploitative work practices and should recognise the need to protect public services in any trade negotiations. We in the Labour Party want to have those jobs across Europe, not just Scotland; we want fair working conditions in Scotland, UK and across Europe. The Labour Party is the party that backs those measures in the UK.
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