Cameron to stage Commons vote on European arrest warrant

Author (Person)
Series Title
Series Details 29.10.14
Publication Date 29/10/2014
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The Guardian, and other news sources, reported that United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron announced on the 29 October 2014 that he would stage a House of Commons vote imminently over opting back into the EU's European Arrest Warrant and over thirty other EU justice matters.

The vote would risk a backbench rebellion from many MPs in Mr Cameron's Conservative Party who opposed the move, while the vote would also take place before a vital Rochester and Strood byelection, at which UKIP threatened to win a second seat in the UK Parliament.

The BBC reported on the 4 November 2014 that the House of Common's European Scrutiny Committee had insisted in a report issued on that day that MPs should be able to vote individually on each measure, and not in a single global vote as the government was proposing.

In a letter published in the Daily Telegraph on the 6 November forty senior UK judges said voting for the EAW 'was a vote for security' and 'effective criminal justice'.

The votes on the issue were due to take place in the House of Commons on the 10 November 2014. However, in a late disclosure (see reports below from The Guardian and Open Europe on the 10.11.14), it became clear that MPs would be allowed to vote on only 11 relatively minor EU justice and home affairs measures, not the whole package of 35 that included the European arrest warrant.

Theresa May, Home Secretary, said she would treat the vote on the 11 measures as being a vote on all 35, including the European arrest warrant. She said they were not all mentioned in the motion because there was no need for them all to be transposed into UK law.

On the same day of the vote the House of Lords Committee on Extradition Law published a short report on the European Arrest Warrant. It concluded that the UK must have effective extradition arrangements with the EU, which the EAW currently provided. Although alternative arrangements had been proposed, they each raised substantial political and legal questions that would need to be answered. If the UK were to allow its opt-out to come into effect in early December 2014 these questions would become acute and would require urgent answers.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/oct/29/cameron-commons-vote-european-arrest-warrant
Related Links
BBC News, 29.10.14: Commons vote on EU Warrant 'before Rochester by-election' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29821692
ESO: Background information: The UK block opt-out in police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-uk-block-opt-out-in-police-and-judicial-cooperation-in-criminal-matters-recent-developments-commons-library-standard-note/
ESO: Background information: European Arrest Warrant needs reform, say MPs http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-arrest-warrant-needs-reform-say-mps/
BBC News, 04.11.14: European Arrest Warrant vote: MPs demand 35 motions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29884444
United Kingdom: Parliament: House of Commons: Committees: European Scrutiny Committee: News, 04.11.14: The UK’s 2014 block opt-out decision: summary update report http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/european-scrutiny-committee/news/2014-block-opt-out-decision/
United Kingdom: Parliament: House of Commons: Committees: European Scrutiny Committee: Report: The UK's 2014 block opt–out decision: summary and update Report, November 2014 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmeuleg/762/762.pdf
BBC News, 06.11.14: European Arrest Warrant: Judges urge UK support http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29928190
Blog: EU Law Analysis, 05.11.14: Letter to the Daily Telegraph: The need for the UK to opt in to the EAW http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/letter-to-daily-telegraph-need-for-uk.html
Blog: EU Law Analysis, 04.11.14: The European Arrest Warrant: the case for the UK to stay in http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-european-arrest-warrant-case-for-uk.html
The Conversation, 07.11.14: Why the UK must not ditch the European Arrest Warrant https://theconversation.com/why-the-uk-must-not-ditch-the-european-arrest-warrant-33914
Blog: Spectator, 06.11.14: European Arrest Warrant rebels predict only 30 will defy government http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/11/european-arrest-warrant-rebels-predict-only-30-will-defy-government/
Conservative Home, 07.11.14: Christopher Howarth: The EAW. We should cooperate with our EU neighbours. But why should we join a EU criminal justice system? http://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2014/11/christopher-howarth-the-eaw-we-should-cooperate-with-our-eu-neighbours-but-why-should-we-join-a-eu-criminal-justice-system.html
Conservative Home: Tag: European Arrest Warrant http://www.conservativehome.com/tag/european-arrest-warrant
Blog: Open Europe, 06.11.14: On EU Crime and Policing the UK lost an opportunity to negotiate a new deal http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/on-eu-crime-and-policing-uk-lost.html
Open Europe: An Unavoidable Choice: More or less EU Control over UK policing and criminal law, 2012 http://www.openeurope.org.uk/Content/Documents/Pdfs/JHA2014choice.pdf
BBC News, 10.11.14: European Arrest Warrant: Backbenchers to oppose government http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29983651
The Guardian: Tag: European Arrest Warrant http://www.theguardian.com/law/european-arrest-warrant
The Guardian, 09.11.14: [Editorial]: The Guardian view on the European arrest warrant vote: a political fix, not proper scrutiny http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/09/guardian-view-european-arrest-warrant-political-fix-proper-scrutiny
Conservative Home, 10.11.14: If Tory MPs really oppose EU integration, they should vote against the European Arrest Warrant today http://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2014/11/if-tory-mps-really-oppose-eu-integration-they-should-vote-against-the-european-arrest-warrant-today.html
EUObserver, 10.11.14: UK to sign up to EU arrest warrant despite Tory rebellion http://euobserver.com/news/126455
The Guardian, 06.11.14: David Cameron faces backbench revolt over European arrest warrant http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/nov/06/david-cameron-european-arrest-warrant-backbench-revolt
United Kingdom: Parliament: House of Lords: Committee on Extradition Law: 1st Report [2014-15]: The European Arrest Warrant Opt-in http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldselect/ldextradition/63/63.pdf
Blog: Open Europe, 10.11.14: Are MPs actually being given a vote on the European Arrest Warrant? http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/are-mps-actually-being-given-vote-on.html
The Guardian, 10.11.14: Cameron facing rebellion as he denies MPs vote on European arrest warrant http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/nov/10/cameron-facing-rebellion-denied-mps-vote-european-arrest-warrant

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