Premier 'misled Commons' on trafficking issue

CLAIMS by David Cameron that UK law already does everything to fight human trafficking that is contained in a European directive have been dismissed by a prominent Yorkshire MP.

Labour former Europe minister Denis MacShane accused the Prime Minister of "inadvertently misleading" MPs when he said the UK was already taking all the steps outlined in the directive.

He called for Britain to sign the directive, which is backed by Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, "instead of standing on the side of the pimps and the traffickers".

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At Prime Minister's Questions this week, Mr Cameron was urged by acting Labour leader Harriet Harman not to let Tory Eurosceptics prevent him from signing the directive. But he told her: "We have put everything in place that is in that directive."

But during questions on future business yesterday, Dr MacShane, the Rotherham MP, said: "I have the directive here and it says it allows extra-territorial jurisdiction, the possibility to prosecute EU nationals for crimes committed in other countries.

"This is not in our law. The Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House...opting in is the best thing the UK can do instead of standing on the side of the pimps and the traffickers."