I want to send a huge thank you to all the members of the public who – in the street, on the trains and elsewhere as I travelled yesterday – took the time to say they appreciated the spirit of my speech in Parliament on Thursday and the related Today programme interview yesterday. They showed me there is appetite for reconciliation and progress in this country: we can hope to come together and move on. Find the full speech on […]
Tags: Europe, Parliament
From my daily briefing: Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will trigger Article 50: delivering on the verdict of the British people to leave the European Union. We stand on the threshold of a significant moment for Britain as we begin the negotiations that will lead us towards a new partnership with Europe. The referendum vote last June was about something more than simply leaving the European Union. It was a vote for change: to make Britain stronger and fairer – restoring […]
Tags: Article 50, Constitution, EU, Europe, Parliament
The Prime Minister announced at Prime Minister’s Questions this week that the UK will resettle unaccompanied asylum seeking children from Europe. The Government’s focus remains on supporting countries most affected by the continuing migration crisis in the Middle East and North Africa where they think the UK can make the biggest difference and to provide resettlement to those most in need of support in the region. The Government has reflected on what more the UK can do to support children at risk of exploitation. The Government […]
Tags: Asylum, Europe, Parliament, Syria
The Independent reports my reaction to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s intervention in the EU debate: Responding to Mr Kerry’s remarks at the Munich annual security conference the Conservative MP Steve Baker said to the Independent: “I refer Mr Kerry to the US Declaration of Independence. We will do peacefully at the ballot box that for which his nation fought a bloody war of insurrection. “If the USA must express a view on the UK’s right to the separate […]
Tags: EU, EU referendum, Europe, International Affairs, Parliament, USA
The EU Tobacco Products Directive looks set to seriously damage the development of the e-cigarette industry. That is likely to diminish the prospects of helping people quit smoking and lead far healthier lives. Researchers from University College London (UCL) have said that: For every million smokers who switched to an e-cigarette we could expect a reduction of more than 6000 premature deaths in the UK each year, even in the event that e-cigarette use carries a significant risk of fatal diseases, and […]
Tags: Bureaucracy, EU, Europe, Incompetence, Liberty, Parliament, Regulation, Vaping, Wycombe
Yesterday, the House of Commons debated Finance Bill New Clause 7, an amendment to force a negotiation with the EU for a reduction in the 5% VAT rate on sanitary items. The Hansard record of this debate is available here. VAT on tampons and other sanitary products should be zero and it was clear that this was the will of the House of Commons. However, EU VAT rules prevent Parliament from eliminating VAT on these products: the cross-party will of […]
Tags: EU, Europe, Government, Parliament
Yesterday, the Electoral Commission recommended a change to the question to be put to voters in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. The Government is accepting the change. Via the BBC: The Electoral Commission said the wording proposed by ministers – “should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?” – could be perceived as biased to the status quo. It has proposed adding the words “or leave the European Union?” The government has said it will […]
Tags: EU, EU referendum, Europe, Parliament
The European Union in all its complexities and controversies is often not well understood. I am therefore publishing today a briefing: Understanding the European Union (PDF). The development of the European Union (EU) is defined by the principle of ever-greater integration expressed in the relevant treaties, notably in the preamble about ‘ever closer union’. That is, the goal is continual integration among the nations of Europe until economic, monetary, fiscal and political union has been achieved. The Lisbon Treaty defines the EU, […]
Tags: Briefing, Conservatives for Britain, EU, EU referendum, Europe
It has recently been brought to my attention that in 2013, the little known ‘High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism” published a report calling for new regulatory bodies to provide oversight of journalists and publishers across Europe to ensure they act responsibly. The report stated that “Such bodies would have competences to investigate complaints [and] should have real enforcement powers, such as the imposition of fines, orders for printed or broadcast apologies, or removal of journalistic status.” The […]
The EU Referendum Bill Second Reading debate may be watched again here. Please use the index on the right of that page to jump to individual speeches. It was an historic event. Soon, the British people will have the opportunity to choose between the radical step of European political integration or the moderate choice: a trading and co-operating United Kingdom. Here is a summary of contributions to debate by declared Conservatives for Britain members. Owen Paterson began by reminding the […]
Tags: Conservatives for Britain, EU, EU referendum, Europe, Parliament
Steve Baker is the Conservative MP for Wycombe.
Steve was first elected to Parliament in 2010. He was previously an RAF engineer officer then a consulting software engineer. Find out more...
Steve holds regular surgeries in High Wycombe. If you would like an appointment, please contact me.
