Tory barred over Barroso protest

By Martin Banks

Date: 26/05/05

Disciplinary action has been taken against the British Conservative MEP Roger Helmer in the aftermath of yesterday's (25 May) debate on a censure motion against the European Commission.

Five Conservative MEPs had put their names to the motion and been threatened with "very serious consequences" by the leader of their delegation, Timothy Kirkhope.

Helmer then spoke out in the debate, attacking both Kirkhope and Hans-Gert Pöttering, leader of the centre-right EPP-ED group, with which the Conservatives are affiliated. Working with the proposer of the motion, UK Independence Party member Nigel Farage, Helmer accused Pöttering of "particularly discreditable" behaviour in putting pressure on the Conservative MEPs to withdraw their names from the motion.

Pöttering was stung into announcing that Helmer was no longer a member of the EPP-ED group. The group rules state that membership can be ended by a decision of two-thirds of group members but it does not appear that any vote has yet been taken.

In a letter to Helmer yesterday evening, Timothy Kirkhope said the Conservative party whip was being withdrawn pending further investigation "in consequence of your deliberate attack". A Conservative spokesman said it was "too early" to say what action, if any, would be taken against the other four Tories who signed the motion, Chris Heaton-Harris, Martin Callanan, David Sumberg and Daniel Hannan.

Helmer said: "I have opposed Conservative party membership of the EPP group for six years so, to be honest, if I am being suspended from the group I am pretty relaxed about it."

Article reports that disciplinary action was taken against the British Conservative MEP Roger Helmer in the aftermath of a debate on 25 May 2005 on a censure motion against the European Commission. Five Conservative MEPs had put their names to the motion, initiated by the Eurosceptic Independence and Democracy (ID) group, and were threatened with 'very serious consequences' by the leader of their delegation, Timothy Kirkhope.