Letter from Timothy Kirkhope MEP
| Conservatives in the European Parliament | Wednesday, 12th October 2005 |
EPP-ED Group, European Parliament
47-53 rue Wiertz
B-1047 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 284 3033 Fax: +32 2 284 4519
Dear Roger
The Review Panel has completed its work.
We considered in detail all the matters which were relevant, including a review of material which came to hand at the time of the suspension of the Whip and subsequent to that, as well as your statement and comments made at the initial Panel meeting on the 27th September 2005.
We are of one mind that, in order for the Conservative Whip to be restored, you must first take the following actions:
| 1. |
You must give a written apology to the Conservative Delegation, in agreed terms, for the letter of 19th May 2005 which was published in the 'Daily Telegraph'. [See Attachment 1 herewith.]
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| 2. |
You must give to the Chief Whip of the Delegation clear written assurances, to be agreed with him, that you will respect and abide by the decisions of the Delegation and that you will not engage in any collusion with any opposition party or its leadership. You will desist from taking any actions which could cause embarrassment to colleagues and the Party.
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| 3. |
You must agree that you will refrain from producing or inspiring media articles, emails or correspondence which cause damage to the Party and, specifically, the UK Conservative Delegation in the European Parliament and its Leadership.
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| 4. |
You must undertake to follow the Conservative Whip as determined by the 2004 - 2009 Manifesto and as agreed by the UK Conservative Delegation. You must also demonstrate that you are willing to abide by basic requirements of Party discipline and unity.
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| 5. |
In company with every other Conservative candidate for the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections and specifically at the behest of Dr. Liam Fox, MP, then Chairman of the Party, you signed an individual commitment to abide by terms of the Manifesto relating to allied Membership of the EPP-ED. [See Attachments 2 and 3 herewith.]
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In your speech to the EPP-ED Group in June, you specifically invited and urged Members to expel you. In doing this, you broke the explicit promise that you made in 2004. The Group subsequently voted to expel you by a large majority. It is therefore incumbent upon you to rejoin the EPP-ED Group on an individual basis, in accordance with Rule 5. We will require evidence of your readmission.
Once you have successfully completed all of the above requirements, the Chief Whip will restore the Conservative Whip to you.
Yours sincerely,
Timothy Kirkhope MEP [Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament]
for and on behalf of
Philip Bradbourn MEP [Chief Whip]
Rt Hon Sir Robert Atkins MEP [Deputy Leader]
Neil Parish MEP [Deputy Chief Whip]
See also
• Roger's Submission to the Review panel
• Roger's Reply
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