George spoke during a General Debate on Europe held in the Chamber on Wednesday, 30th January.
He began by praising the recent speech of the Prime Minister, David Cameron, which he described as 'probably the most important speech that a Prime Minister has given on Europe since we joined 40 years ago' and that in comparison to former leaders who get bogged down in rhetoric, David Cameron has shown 'genuine leadership.' He also criticised the Labour front-bench, who widely share the analysis of the Prime Minister, but who are 'unwilling to do anything about it'.
George then went on to speak about the ramifications of the speech, and the unique chance to rebuild a different relationship with the EU that sees Britain remain within the single market but with important powers taken back, especially in regard to the juristiction of the European Court of Justice. He argued that Britain is right to 'end the dogma of ever closer union', and that we should have confidence, in comparison to Labour's pessimism, when it comes to the importance of Britain for the EU and our ability to negotiate a new settlement.
Finally George stated that the EU was coming to a stage, with many other member states clamouring for a new Treaty after the recent Eurozone crisis, that new relationships could be established and that this 'demands a policy response for Britain.' For the full text of his speech, click here.