Yorkshire and the Humber MEP, Timothy Kirkhope, has been appointed as interim chairman of the new anti-federalist grouping launched in the European Parliament.
At the recent European elections, Conservative MEPs all stood on a manifesto commitment to leave their previous grouping (the EPP-ED) and to form a new centre and centre-right grouping that would promote an EU of nation states, rather than the federa
list prospectus put forward by the existing main groups.
In the European Parliament, MEPs sit in transnational political groups, rather than national parties. In the last parliament there were seven groups. In order to form a group, there must be at least 25 MEPs from seven EU nations. The 26 British Conservative MEPs will now join with parties (including many in government) from at least seven other nations. The group will have at least 55 MEPs and is likely to be the fourth largest in the parliament.
Although leadership arrangements for the group will be finalised in the first formal session of the parliament in Strasbourg next month, Mr Kirkhope will sit as interim chairman and will represent the new group in the powerful 'Conference of Presidents', which will meet with the Swedish government in a fortnight to discuss Sweden's agenda when it assumes the EU's rotating Presidency.
Speaking after his appointment, Mr Kirkhope said: "For the first time in the European Parliament, there will now be a grouping that is committed to opposing Euro-federalism.
"With our new group, we will be better equipped to articulate the view that the majority of people of Yorkshire and the Humber have for the European Union: of greater accountability, better value and some powers returned to national governments.
"Across the EU, the European elections saw the socialists defeated. The European Parliament will be dominated by parties from the centre-right and we will work with them in a number of areas such as opening markets and combating climate change. However we fundamentally disagree about how the European Union should develop and we will fight against the transfer of powers to Brussels.
"Our new Group is an exciting new force for fundamental change in the European Parliament and it is a great honour to lead it."
