Hague sees a future with ‘less Europe’ after crisis

In a rousing speech at the conference, the Foreign Secretary said the debt crisis gripping the eurozone proved that he had been right all along to campaign to keep Britain out of the single currency in the late 1990s.

And he said that as the root causes of the crisis are tackled, the opportunity will arise for the UK to forge a new deal with the continent.

He said: “In our party, we are looking towards the establishment of a new settlement in Europe.

“That will in time mean, just as it will for other nations of Europe in or out of the eurozone, a big choice for Britain – which must be a real choice for Britain, and which will require the fresh consent of the British people.”

The Richmondshire MP and former party leader said Conservatives must not revel in the eurozone’s woes.

However he insisted that the solution to the crisis was not for deeper integration which would include the United Kingdom.

“Some people look at the crisis and say “more Europe” is the only answer – I profoundly disagree,” he said “Sometimes less is more, less is better.

“So we want less bureaucracy, less pointless or damaging interference, less meddling in the issues that belong to national democracies.”

The Foreign Secretary, who was given standing ovations at the start and end of his Symphony Hall speech, said Britons had “firmly made up their minds that they do not want to become part of some kind of European federation”.

He added: “Our first priority must be to see the crisis resolved, since nothing would do more for growth in our economy.

“But over time we must take the opportunities for Britain to shape its relationship with Europe in ways that advance our national interest.”

Mr Hague also ridiculed the efforts of Labour leader Ed Miliband to claim the “One Nation” mantle for his own party during his speech to their conference last week in Manchester.

The phrase was first coined by Tory leader Benjamin Disraeli in the 1870s, and the Foreign Secretary said: “Ed Miliband, you are no Disraeli.”

Mr Hague told the conference: “We know a little more about Benjamin Disraeli, a great Conservative Prime Minister, than he does.

“Disraeli was defined by changing his party for the late 19th Century, while Ed Miliband will be defined by refusing to change his party for the 21st century.”