The Church of England has mounted an extraordinary attack on David Cameron over Europe – warning that his veto of an EU treaty last year has left Britain ‘without credibility’.
In a highly unusual move, the Church has told MPs to adopt a more ‘constructive and positive’ approach towards Europe or risk Britain ‘slowly drifting towards the exit’.
The Prime Minister’s historic veto of Europe’s fiscal compact in December was hailed by Tories as a major victory, although it angered his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg.Mr Cameron said he blocked the adoption of the measures as a full EU treaty because other countries refused to agree safeguards needed to protect Britain’s economy. But the Church said he had left the impression that ‘Britain was being awkward for the sake of it’. It said Britain risked being seen as an ‘unreliable partner’ and now needed to ‘work to rebuild trust’.
The comments come from a paper submitted to the Commons foreign affairs committee. It was prepared by the Archbishops’ Council, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.
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Church of England attack Cameron's EU veto
21st June 2012
The Church of England has mounted an extraordinary attack on David Cameron over Europe – warning that his veto of an EU treaty last year has left Britain ‘without credibility’.
In a highly unusual move, the Church has told MPs to adopt a more ‘constructive and positive’ approach towards Europe or risk Britain ‘slowly drifting towards the exit’.
The Prime Minister’s historic veto of Europe’s fiscal compact in December was hailed by Tories as a major victory, although it angered his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg.Mr Cameron said he blocked the adoption of the measures as a full EU treaty because other countries refused to agree safeguards needed to protect Britain’s economy. But the Church said he had left the impression that ‘Britain was being awkward for the sake of it’. It said Britain risked being seen as an ‘unreliable partner’ and now needed to ‘work to rebuild trust’.
The comments come from a paper submitted to the Commons foreign affairs committee. It was prepared by the Archbishops’ Council, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu.
Jason Groves | The Daily Mail
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