MILIBAND SPEECH ON EUROPE SHOWS BRITAIN LOSING ITS WAY ON FUTURE OF THE EU

7.30.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 15th Nov 2007

Commenting on the speech given by Foreign Secretary David Miliband today in Bruges in which he lays out the Government's vision for the European Union, Graham Watson MEP, Leader of the Liberal and Democrat group in the European Parliament, said:

"It is clear from what David Miliband has said at the College of Europe today that the Brown government is quickly losing interest in Europe, and the European way.

"While President Sarkozy guaranteed me the French Presidency of the EU pursues fundamental rights as its highest priority, the UK Government is more interested in suspending them. In their place, the UK Government is promoting the kind of security state found on the other side of the Atlantic, witnessed by plans to turn Britain's railway stations into Heathrow-style hells.

"Instead of insisting on such drastic and disruptive security measures we should be following the example of countries like Spain, which, despite the Madrid train bombings, have focussed on longer term investments like promoting dialogue and integration."