eurealist.co.uk

By TREVOR KAVANAGH
Political Editor

TONY Blair was blasted by a former top aide last night for misleading voters over plans for an EU superstate.
Roger Liddle urged the PM to admit he is handing “more and more power” to Brussels.
And he warned that Mr Blair risks defeat on the EU Constitution unless he owns up to an inevitable loss of sovereignty.

Mr Liddle, a key figure in Labour’s pro-EU camp who now makes £127,000 a year working for EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson, said: “We have to be much more honest with people that Europe has always been a political project.”

He said economic arguments in favour of the EU were now less relevant — but warned Britain would end up with “a kind of associate status” if it rejected the constitution.

Blair told to make EU poll win top priority

Christopher Adams Financial Times 8 Mar 2005

Tony Blair should make winning the referendum on the European Union’s constitutional treaty an immediate priority if he triumphs in the general election, according to one of his former advisers.

Roger Liddle, who advised the prime minister on European issues from 1997 to 2004, said pro-Europeans should be “more honest” and acknowledge that the EU was a political project.

People could see Brussels was gaining “more and more powers” and it was time to make the political arguments for ratifying the treaty more forcefully.

Mr Liddle told the BBC’s Today programme the last seven years had shown there was no longer a compelling economic reason for Britain to be at the heart of Europe.

He described his comments as a “wake-up call” for the government. “From day one after the general election, this has got to be a top priority for a re-elected Labour government. And it’s got to present a positive case,” he said.

Mr Liddle is one of several senior pro-Europeans, among them ministers and figures close to Britain in Europe, the group that is likely to co-ordinate the Yes campaign, who believe Mr Blair will have to act quickly if he is to win the referendum, expected to be held next year. But he went further yesterday, saying that the case for the EU needed to be refashioned too.

“In the past, pro-Europeans have peddled the argument that there was no alternative . . . in the past seven years we have shown there is an alternative, we have run our economy pretty well. We have got to be much more honest and open with people that Europe has always been a political project. I think politically we now want to move on to Europe being a much more credible and effective force for good in the world.”

His comments were seized on by the Vote No campaign, which is against ratifying the constitution. It said: “Roger Liddle is being more honest than the government. Everyone knows that joining the EU constitution would mean giving up even more power to officials who aren’t elected and can’t be voted out.”

However, other pro-European figures in the Yes camp agreed a more positive case for ratification needed to be made and suggested Mr Blair use a reshuffle after the election to put Gordon Brown in charge of running the referendum campaign.
Some felt the chancellor’s campaigning experience, his emphasis on reforming the EU and perceived scepticism of the benefits of euro membership would convince more voters to back the treaty if he came out strongly in support of it.

But Keith Vaz, former Europe minister, said the economic arguments should be stressed if the government were to win the referendum.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said Mr Liddle was entitled to his view: “It is the PM’s prerogative to listen to advice and come to his own views.”

Power-hungry Brussels by Mandelson’s aide

Benedict Brogan Daily Mail 8 Mar 2005

LABOUR divisions over Europe flared up last night after Peter Mandelson was accused of undermining Tony Blair’s re- election campaign.

MPs blamed the European Commissioner for an extraordinary intervention by one of Labour’s most influential figures on European policy.

His chief of staff, Roger Liddle, caused uproar at Westminster by admitting that the Government is surrendering ‘more and more powers’ to Brussels.

As Tony Blair’s former chief adviser on the European Union, Mr Liddle is uniquely placed to shed light on Downing Street’s agenda on Europe.
His revelation, in a BBC interview, threatened to bring chaos to Labour’s election campaign. The Prime Minister is desperate to put off talk about Europe until after polling day for fear of antagonising Eurosceptic voters.
But Mr Liddle urged him to be ‘much more honest’ about the European ‘political project’.

He predicted ’serious consequences’ for Labour unless it started campaigning hard for a ‘yes’ on the EU constitution.
His candour shattered a Labour deal to keep quiet about Europe before polling day for fear of reviving bitter internal divisions.
MPs branded Mr Liddle’s remarks a political gaffe and claimed his boss Mr Mandelson was orchestrating trouble from Brussels.
Ian Davidson, chairman of Labour Against a Superstate, the group leading backbench resistance to the constitution, said: ‘The whole European project has always been a political one and this confirms our view that it’s all about building a country called Europe. It would appear Roger Liddle has gone straight out of Number Ten to Brussels and has gone native immediately.

‘His intervention at this time demonstrates that the “yes” camp is being led from Brussels by Peter Mandelson, who appears to be ignoring our need to win a third term.’

Mr Liddle traded in his job as a top Downing Street adviser last year for a post in Brussels, alongside his patron Mr Mandelson.

He used a Today programme interview yesterday to send what he said was a ‘wake up call’ to the Government.

Mr Liddle predicted that the other 24 EU members will ratify the constitution, leaving only Britain to vote ‘no’ in the referendum next year. He called on Mr Blair to be open about the drive to give Europe a political identity.

‘In the past, pro-Europeans have talked about Europe as though it is some sort of economic free trade area that doesn’t threaten our sovereignty,’ he said.

‘I think we have got to be much more honest and open with people, that Europe always has been a political project.’

Downing Street moved swiftly to distance Mr Blair from his former adviser. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Roger Liddle no longer works in Downing Street.’
Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram said: ‘It’s refreshing to hear someone at the heart of New Labour admit Brussels is gaining more and more powers over our lives.’