Cameron apology call after false statement on EU budget - 2010-10-28

David Cameron must apologise for making false accusations that Labour politicians backed a call for a six per cent increase to the EU budget.

That's the message from Labour's leader in the European Parliament, Glenis Willmott MEP, who has written to the Prime Minister to demand an apology following the claims at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

In her letter Glenis states:

"During Prime Minister's Question Time you wrongly claimed that (on the EU Budget) "we would be assisted if Labour MEPs did not keep voting for higher budgets, which is exactly what they did this week."

"In fact, Labour MEPs voted against the proposed EU budget rise. Moreover, Labour MEPs tabled amendments to the EU budget that would cut more than EUR 1 billion of wasteful spending on areas such as agricultural and export subsidies."

The letter comes on the back of a difficult EU summit for Cameron, who has been struggling to keep his eurosceptic backbenchers at bay.

Glenis Willmott added: "Cameron is trying his hardest to appear Thatcheresque. While I don't have much positive to say about Britain's first female Prime Minister, I doubt she'd have allowed herself to be caught out in the way Cameron has been this week.

"The question now is whether he's man enough to admit that he got it wrong."

Read analysis of the Tory claim on the Channel 4 News website

Read more from Glenis Willmott on the EU 2011 budget vote on Left Foot Forward and Labour List.

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