Did Cameron break his Euro pledge?
Updated on 18 July 2006
Depends which pledge you mean.
The Claim
"I said that if elected, I would lead my Party as a consistent Conservative.
"That under my leadership, we wouldn't say one thing in London and a different thing in Brussels.
"I said that meant leaving the EPP, the European People's Party Parliamentary Group in the European Parliament.
"The reason is simple - which is that while we agree about open markets and deregulation we don't share their views about the future development of Europe.
"Today, I am fulfilling the pledge I made in the election."
David Cameron, July 13, 2006
Background
When David Cameron laid down the law about Europe during the leadership election, it was a defining moment of his campaign.
Europe has always been a vexed issue for the Tories ? but the membership of the EPP has been a particular bone of contention.
To have any influence in the European Parliament, members from parties across Europe bound together in super-parties, which generally vote together, and send appointees to key committees.
The Conservatives belong to the European People's Party, which groups together right of centre parties from across Europe.
But the EPP is a federalist bloc, while the Conservatives are anti-federalist. So when David Cameron said he wanted to withdraw from the EPP, it went down well with the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory party.
Some say that this was the pledge which swung the election in his favour. But last week he announced a new alliance with the Czech Civic Democratic Party, which would see him withdraw from the EPP, but not until the next Euro elections in 2009.
So exactly what pledge did he make? And did is he fulfilling it, or breaking it?
Analysis
Well, the claim did not appear in his leadership manifesto, "Change To Win".
There he only mentions Europe once: "Now is the time to fight for an open and flexible Europe, with a high growth, low unemployment future, recognising that Britain has always done best when she engages ethically and enthusiastically with the wider world."
The Cameron 'pledge' most often referred to was made on Radio 4's Today Programme, on 9 December 2006.
Here's the exchange:
Cameron: It would make much more sense in my view to build a centre-right group with other like-minded parties, that are pro the sort of open flexible Europe that we want...
John Humphrys (interviewer): And if there is a split, when there is a split because Edward McMillen-Scott is already on the record, as saying that he won't accept that, then you will just say so be it we will have a split.
Cameron: What I have said very clearly is that we will leave the EPP, we will form a new group and we will be consistent conservative politicians.
Humphrys: Absolutely no question about that and it will happen fairly soon. It will have to happen soon!
Cameron: It will happen, it is a matter? It is a matter of months not years and it will be done and William Hague will deliver that policy.
We now know that the Conservatives won't be leaving the EPP until the next European elections in 2009. So it turns out that it's a case of years, not months. Nowhere near to fulfilling the pledge.
So how can David Cameron claim to have fulfilled the 'pledge he made in the election'?
Well, it's a tale of two pledges. He didn't make the 'months not years' comment until after he had won the Conservative leadership election.
The pledge he made during the election is a vaguer one. The Labour Party website points out that he did indicate in an interview with Sky News's Adam Boulton that he would leave the party "In the course of this European Parliament."
If you accept that 'at the very end of this parliament' counts as 'in the course' of it, then he has just about fulfilled this pledge.
FactCheck Rating: 3 (How ratings work)
Verdict
Cameron can claim to have met the election pledge, if not the post-election pledge. Not surprisingly, he doesn't mention the second one in his speech. However, this verbal finesse won't go very far to undo the effect of what has certainly been perceived as a U-turn.
The sources
We have a future to fight for
David Cameron speech. July 13 2006.
David Cameron, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 9 December 2006
Change to Win, David Cameron leadership manifesto
Tories marginalised and isolated in Europe - Hoon
Labour Party website.
