Tories and Labour create 'pint and loaf' confusion - Watson

4.53.46pm GMT Thu 2nd Feb 2006

Graham Watson stands up for the British pinta

European Liberal Democrats are calling on the European Parliament's conservative and socialist groups, to which Tories and Labour belong, to join them in voting down the report which has caused such confusion about the future of the British pinta and loaf of bread.

South West Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson said:

"The European Commission - the 'Brussels bureaucrats' - are the good guys in this saga of woe. They proposed to slash red tape for almost all products so as to allow whatever sizes of bottles and cartons shops and customers wanted."

"Conservative and Socialist Euro-MPs have created a dog's dinner. They opposed sensible deregulation and insisted on maintaining EU rules for more products including milk. Realising they got themselves in a mess, they now call for exceptions!"

"Despite all the rhetoric we hear from others, only the Liberal Democrats can be relied on to consistently oppose unnecessary Euro-harmonisation. We should throw out this ridiculous report by misguided MEPs and support the Commission's original deregulation plan."

Note to Editors:

In the Commission's proposal only a tiny number of products would keep specified bottle or package sizes (wine, spirits, instant coffee and white sugar). Conservative and Socialist group MEPs voted to add butter, brown sugar, rice, pasta and milk to that list, which Liberal Democrats opposed.