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?

Dear Dr Gabb,

Thank you for your letter seeking my views with regard to the Treaty of Nice. I can confirm that the answer to both your questions is 'yes'. 

A Conservative Government would not ratify this integrationist Nice Treaty, nor would I vote for it. We further believe that the Government should not seek to ratify the Treaty without first consulting the public in a referendum, and we would seek to amend the ratification Bill to incorporate such a requirement.  I would vote for such an amendment.  I can confirm that if the Government seeks to ratify the Treaty as it stands, I will vote
against it at Second and Third Reading. 

As a Conservative Government will not ratify the Treaty of Nice, the question of a referendum will not arise.  We would however be willing to ratify a Treaty limited to those elements which are genuinely needed to enable enlargement to take place.  As this would exclude any element of further political integration, especially further abandonment of the veto, a referendum would not in those circumstances be needed.

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely,

James Gray MP