A UK government audit of how the EU affects the UK concluded that the European Union doesn’t intervene unduly in British life. Report buried by UK government.
A UK government audit of what the EU does and how it affects the UK concluded that the European Union doesn’t intervene unduly in British life and puts claims that the EU has ‘excessive powers’ to rest. But the results have been buried. Ministers have been accused by a cross-party group of peers of trying to “bury” the results of the biggest ever Whitehall examination of European Union powers, after it found no evidence that the EU was interfering excessively in any aspect of British life. Spending up to £5m on the project, the government made no effort to pull its findings together and make them accessible to a public that wants to know the truth about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
“The fact that this review happened and was buried for the convenience of Eurosceptics in the Tory party and the UK Eurosceptic media is a scandal of democracy. It is a crucial element in the upcoming referendum debate over Britain’s future in the EU. Up to £5m of public money was spent on this massive review of EU competencies. People need to know the facts about the UK-EU relationship. We will strive to make sure the facts are known during the referendum campaign” says Nicolas de Santis, BRAND EU founder.
Starting in 2012 and updated in 2014, the UK Government carried out the review of the balance of competences (an audit) of what the EU does and how it affects the UK to get a clear sense of how the UK national interests interact with the EU’s roles. This review covered all areas of influence of the European Union.
In a hugely damaging move for the government, the European Union Committee of the House of Lords, chaired by former Tory minister Lord Boswell, came close to saying that ministers tried to cover up the findings, which do not support David Cameron’s claims that the EU is “becoming a state” and has already accrued excessive powers. By contrast, the so-called “balance of competences” review – hailed by William Hague in 2012 as the “most extensive analysis of the impact of UK membership of the EU ever undertaken” – found no area with a case for transferring powers back from Brussels.
The single, clear message from the review is that in none of its 32 chapters is there a compelling case for the repatriation of powers from Brussels to Westminster and Whitehall. So, while the EU needs reform, our relationship with it does not warrant wholesale dismantling.
EU Review UK Government Webpage: https://www.gov.uk/review-of-the-balance-of-competences
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