CONSERVATIVE LEADER IN BRUSSELS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LADY ASHTON
Posted, December 02, 2009 @ 00:00
CONSERVATIVE LEADER IN BRUSSELS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LADY ASHTON
Brussels 2 December 2009. Conservative Leader in Brussels Timothy Kirkhope today gave a cautious welcome to Lady Ashton after she appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.
In a statement he said,
"While we were firmly against the appointment of Tony Blair, we also had grave reservations about the experience of the unknown Lady Ashton operating in a foreign policy role, which had been similarly filled in the past by heavyweights such as Javier Solana. We also would have preferred a British Commissioner in an economic brief such as internal market or competition.
"We were pleasantly surprised at how she dealt with a number of difficult questions. While lacking in substance, many of her answers showed someone well briefed and adept at handling politically challenging questions.
"We will be holding Lady Aston fully to account and will keep a watching brief on her statements and policy announcements. However as a first outing, we remain cautiously optimistic of her abilities."