Brown signs EU Treaty as experts warn Britain will surrender control of immigration

UK Daily Mail
Thursday December 13, 2007

Gordon Brown will later today put pen to paper on the EU Treaty, despite new evidence which shows the controversial document will surrender almost all control of Britain's immigration.

Buried in the Treaty's small print is a ruling that gives new rights to EU leaders to overturn decisions made by Britain's Immigration and Asylum Tribunal.

Thousands of failed asylum seekers will now be able to take their cases to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg where the final say will be handed to unselected bureaucrats in Brussels.

European Union leaders are expected to sign the treaty at noon today in Lisbon - with Gordon Brown, who is flying in later today, expected to sign at about 3pm.

Neil O'Brien, who heads the I Want A Referendum campaign, claimed last night: "By signing us up to the rejected Constitution, Gordon Brown is giving EU courts the right to hear asylum cases.

"This could mean that decisions made by UK courts to deport failed asylum seekers will be overturned by Brussels."

Almost 170,000 deportation cases are already brought before the Immigration Tribunal every year, with each case usually lasting around two years.

Giving failed asylum seekers powers to take their cases to Europe will cost the taxpayer millions of extra pounds as each case now already costs an average of £18,000.

The move drew a furious reaction from Tory leader David Cameron who has accused the Prime Minister of 'betraying' the British public after ditching plans to hold a referendum.

"Today Gordon Brown will betray every good thing he claimed to stand for when he became Prime Minister," Cameron told the Sun.

"He said he would trust the British people and consult them more. He doesn't even have the guts to put it to the British people."

The news emerged after Brown was accused of political cowardice after it was confirmed that he will miss today's lavish signing ceremony for the new European treaty.

He will arrive in Lisbon too late and will have to add his name some time after the other EU leaders.

Full article here.