Thank God for Brussels

Thank God for Brussels

19 Mar 2007

Information correct on date of event.

Final vote: 121 For, 99 Against

A Financial Times debate to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

The debate took place at: BP Lecture Theatre.

Speakers for the motion:

Peter Sutherland: Chairman of BP plc (1997 - current) and is Chairman of Goldman Sachs International (1995 - current). He is currently UN Special Representative for Migration and Development.

Sylvie Goulard: Currently associate research fellow at the CERI (Sciences Po, Paris) and lecturer at the College of Europe, Bruges, she has been elected President of the French European Movement (the oldest French association promoting Europe) in December 2006.

Chris Huhne: Prior to his election to the House of Commons Chris Huhne was an award winning Journalist, City of London economist and Member of the European Parliament. Chris is the Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson, a role he has taken on with typical vigour and enthusiasm as the Green tax Switch has become the centre piece of Liberal Democrat policy.

Speakers against the motion:

Michael Spencer: Chief Executive of ICAP, the world's largest money broker. The company, which he built from scratch, is one of the City of London's biggest success stories over recent years.

Ruth Lea: Currently director of the Centre for Policy Studies. She is a governor of the London School of Economics and a non-executive director of Arbuthnot Banking Group plc.

Rt Hon Lord John Redwood MP: The Conservative Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. John was a fellow of All Souls from 1972 to 1987 and again from 2003 to 2005. He is currently a Visiting Professor for Middlesex University Business School. Mr Redwood, a confirmed Euro sceptic and supporter of low taxation, was Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Secretary of State for Wales before resigning in 1995 to stand against John Major when the Prime Minister called a leadership election. Since December 2005 he has been the Co-Chairman of the Party's Economic Competitiveness Policy Group which in August 2007 proposed easing regulations and lowering business taxes to improve Britain's competitiveness. He supports fair and free trade to help the developing world, and has backed the Make Poverty History campaign. His books include, "I Want to Make a Difference, But I Don't Like Politics" (2006).

Chair: Lionel Barber Editor of the Financial Times, appointed in November 2005. Previously, he was the newspaper's US managing editor, based in New York, responsible for the US edition and all US news on FT.com.