12 MAY 2001, Page 28

Euro Tories aren't wimps

From Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, MEP Sir: One of the two UKIP MEPs, Nigel Farage, attacks the Conservative/UUP MEPs, whom I lead, in an inaccurate article under the insulting headline 'The Tory wimps of Strasbourg' (21 April), for working within the system rather than standing Out against it.

Instead of being virtual MEPs, my group gets on with the job. Instead of abstaining on controversial issues such as a European public prosecutor, a European constitution, or an EU carbon tax, or voting in favour of them, as Labour and LibDem MEPs do, we vote against these and any other proposals we believe are taking Europe in the wrong direction. Instead of refusing to do any work in the Parliament — the UKIP approach — we try to influence Euro-legislation, sometimes successfully and sometimes not.

In May, 24 items of legislation are being guided through the Parliament by MEPs from the centre-right EPP-ED group: ten of these are by British Conservatives. Of the 21 reports by socialist group MEPs, only three are by British Labour ones. UKIP has none.

We will not achieve as much as we would like, but that is not the point: it is a job that we believe must be done and we are the ones who are actually doing it. Mr Farage can snort from his pantomime horse; if he wants to follow our whip — and I invite him to do so — he will find himself defending the national interest a lot more effectively than 'abstaining for Britain', as he does at the moment.

Edward McMillan-Scott

Leader, Conservatives in the European Parliament, Smith Square, London SW1