Inside the tent

THEY may have turned up late for the party, but it's better than not turning up at all. Thirteen years after a very different Conservative Government was kicked out of office, its returning pledge to engage more with the European Union is the right one, however unpalatable that may be to parts of the party.

The EU is in desperate need of reform, particularly in terms of its huge cost and the number of regulations it churns out, and William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, clearly recognises that this cannot be achieved in Westminster.

Having ruled out further political integration, Britain needs to increase its influence in the bodies which already exist. Changing life in the taxpayer-funded corridors of Brussels and Strasbourg will take some time but, as Mr Hague identifies, increasing the proportion of British officials at director level in the European Commission is a solid place to start.

Not all of the decisions will be so easy, however. The Tories' decision to end years of co-operation with the mainstream EPP in the European Parliament, and join forces with Eastern European parties, risks putting them on the fringes of debate. Their potential partners include some unattractive politicians who hark back to the 1930s era of extremism.

If the Tories do align themselves with these people, then Mr Hague, the MP for Richmond, must use a more moderate tone. While he might like to cry "I want my money back", as Margaret Thatcher did in 1984, these days are gone. Britain should cling on to what's left of its rebate, because the work of the EU is extraordinarily expensive, but the increase in member states has inevitably hit our influence. Instead, Mr Hague must listen to, and challenge, his EU counterparts. He must make the EU work for us, and boost Britain's economic might