A Note on Tim Boswell

On the 15th December 2000, Sean Gabb wrote asking these questions:

1. If you are at the relevant time a Member of Parliament, do you undertake to use all available parliamentary means to secure a referendum on the Treaty of Nice?

2. If such a referendum is not called, do you further undertake to vote against ratification of the Treaty of Nice on its third reading in the House of Commons?

On the 5th January 2001, Mr Boswell wrote as follows:

Dear Dr Gabb,

Thank you for your letter of 15th December. As a member of the Conservative frontbench team I would expect to support my party in the lobbies on this matter. You will know that they have been critical of the Nice Treaty.

Yours sincerely,

Tim Boswell


Sean Gabb comments:

I do not regard this as a straight answer. On an issue so important as the Nice Treaty, indirect answers that fail to criticise what was done at Nice will not usually do.