Hague successor rejects EU legacy

HE's FAMED for his campaign to keep the pound while trumpeting the value of the EU, but even the legacy of senior Tory William Hague was not enough to convince his successor to join the '˜remain' campaign.
Richmond MP Rishi Sunak at Ian Carlisles Thornton Lodge farm, Finghall, Leyburn.Richmond MP Rishi Sunak at Ian Carlisles Thornton Lodge farm, Finghall, Leyburn.
Richmond MP Rishi Sunak at Ian Carlisles Thornton Lodge farm, Finghall, Leyburn.

Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond, is the ninth Yorkshire politician to back the ‘out’ camp since David Cameron returned from the EU Council with a raft of proposals for a reformed EU.

He wrote on his Facebook account on Wednesday morning: “After much thought I have decided to vote for Britain to leave the EU.

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“Now to sit down and set out to my constituents the reasons for my decision.”

Lord Hague.  Picture Bruce RollinsonLord Hague.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Lord Hague. Picture Bruce Rollinson

The Stanford University graduate who enjoyed a successful international business career before entering politics is said to have concerns over immigration and the British economy - which Mr Cameron’s reforms did not meet.

He is one of the last MPs in Yorkshire to declare how they will campaign and his views put him at odds to Lord Hague, who now sits in the House of Lords. The long-standing former MP for Richmond, who held the seat between 1989 and 2015 fronted the party’s Save the Pound campaign during the 2001 General Election when he was leader of the Conservatives.

However he has also been a voice of caution to the party over the long-term impact of divisions on the EU referndum and Brexit’s potential impact on the Conservatives chances at the next General Election. Lord Hague wants Britain to remain in the EU for overall regional security and to support the wider goal of achieving more democratically run states across the continent.

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Withdrawal of British military and economic might from the EU may also severely impact the the institution’s ability to function as well as it could, he claimed.

Lord Hague.  Picture Bruce RollinsonLord Hague.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Lord Hague. Picture Bruce Rollinson

However Mr Sunak, after long deliberations, is forging a different path, and will now write to his constituents personally to explain more about his decision.

His statement comes as discussions over whether the EU deal secured by Mr Cameron has legal clout continue.

Speaking in the European Parliament, European Council president Donald Tusk tried to counter claims the deal struck with the UK was not legally binding.

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He described the agreement struck after marathon talks in Brussels last week as a “legally binding and irreversible settlement” that “cannot be annulled by the European Court of Justice”. Mr Tusk also appeared to follow David Cameron in warning there would be no fresh negotiations in the event of a ‘leave’ vote, saying if that happened the deal would “cease to exist”.

He added: “The EU will respect the decision of the British people. If the majority votes to leave, that is what will happen.It will change Europe forever and it will be a change for the worse.”

The government’s top lawyer, Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC, also believes the reforms Mr Cameron achieved have a sound legal basis that can’t be ignored. He said: “The suggestion that this agreement does not have legal effect until it is incorporated into EU treaties is not correct.

“It has legal effect from the point the UK says it intends to remain in the EU, and the European Court must take it into account. The job of the European Court is to interpret the agreements between the 28 nation states of the EU.

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This is one of those agreements, with equivalent legal force to other agreements such as treaties.

“That is not just my opinion – it is the opinion of this government’s lawyers, lawyers for the EU, and, I suspect, the majority of lawyers in this country.”