Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Liberal Democrats

European Council summit “stronger on words than action”

Nick Clegg responds to Gordon's Brown's European Council statement in the House of Commons, and comments on the situations in Afghanistan and Zimbabwe

Whilst welcoming the announcement of a €200 billion European fiscal stimulus, Nick rued the lack of European action on climate change. He challenged the Prime Minister to invest in green infrastructure in the UK, rather than "wasting extra borrowed money on that VAT cut", and instead to introduce big, long-term tax cuts to help ordinary families.

The Liberal Democrat leader also raised the issue of Zimbabwe, barely mentioned in the Council's discussions. "The Government have got their priorities wrong", he said, "instead of being tough on Mugabe, they are being tough on his victims, by refusing to allow Zimbabwean asylum seekers here to work, and, despite assurances to the contrary, by still deporting Zimbabweans to their fate."

Gordon Brown was "not providing the right leadership" on the economy, on climate change and in both Zimbabwe and the Congo, where the Prime Minister failed to support the dispatching of EU troops, concluded Nick.

Read Nick Clegg's full statement below:

Mr. Nick Clegg (Sheffield, Hallam) (LD): Mr. Speaker, may I add my expressions of sympathy and condolence to the family and friends of Lance-Corporal Steven Fellows, Corporal Marc Birch, Sergeant John Manuel and Marine Damian Davies, who tragically lost their lives in Afghanistan, and to the family and friends of Lee Churcher, who, sadly, died in Iraq? We all owe them a huge debt for their service and sacrifice.

Like so many European Union summits before it, last week's summit was stronger on words than action, richer in promises than in delivery. I welcome the summit proposals for a fiscal stimulus to boost the economy, in the shape of tax cuts and public investment. The question, then, is: why is the Prime Minister not properly practising here at home what he has preached in the European Union? Instead of having his short-term VAT cut, why will he not make the big, permanent, fair tax cuts for ordinary families that were called for at the European summit?

Instead of wasting extra borrowed money on that VAT cut, why will the Prime Minister not invest in green infrastructure for Britain's future, creating green jobs and green growth, as were also called for at the summit? Does the Prime Minister not see that if he does not boost growth in that way - permanent tax cuts and green jobs - Britain will fall behind those countries in Europe that he has boasting about beating for about a decade? Already, in some places one can no longer buy a whole euro for a pound. Does the Prime Minister recognise that many eurozone economies could surge ahead of Britain, under his leadership, leaving us once again as the sick man of Europe?

The summit was a wasted opportunity to defeat climate change. All those of us who want our children to have a planet worth living on will be disappointed that dirty industry has been given extra time to clean up its act. Will the Prime Minister tell us when the commitments will be reviewed, and when the loopholes for dirty industry will finally be closed?

The Prime Minister also told us about his visits to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. I welcome his words of commitment to those countries and support the temporary increase of troops until August in Afghanistan. Does he now recognise that any lasting peace in that country will have to come from a regional agreement - like the Dayton peace accords in the Balkans - and that we need to start talking now to China, Russia and Iran? Does he also agree that, if the local pragmatists in the Taliban are to be split from the national fundamentalists, the talks with the moderate Taliban that are going on in the shadows need to be brought out into the light and given new emphasis?

Finally, I was disturbed to see that Zimbabwe warranted only a few words in the conclusions of the summit, even as millions face disease and starvation, and no words at all from the Prime Minister this afternoon. The Government have got their priorities wrong: instead of being tough on Mugabe, they are being tough on his victims, by refusing to allow Zimbabwean asylum seekers here to work, and, despite assurances to the contrary, by still deporting Zimbabweans to their fate - including Privilege Thalambo, who was arrested with her two daughters for deportation just last Friday.

The Prime Minister talks with great passion about Africa, but he is not providing the right leadership. He has given the wrong leadership on the Congo. Why, instead of encouraging EU leaders to send EU troops, has he encouraged them not to send them? He has also given the wrong leadership on Zimbabwe. Why has he not pushed for international action by the United Nations under the new doctrine of responsibility to protect?

Does the Prime Minister not agree that, on the economy, on climate change and on Africa, making the right promises is the easy bit, but delivering them is the real test?