Edward McMillan-Scott
Encyclopedia
Edward Hugh Christian McMillan-Scott (born 15 August 1949) is a British Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) and one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament. He was re-elected as a Conservative Party
representative for the Yorkshire and the Humber constituency
in the 2009 election
.
After his re-election in 2009, McMillan-Scott stood and was re-elected as one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament in opposition to the official candidate of the European Conservatives and Reformists
group to which he belonged. As a result of his candidature, he had the whip
withdrawn and subsequently was expelled from the Conservative Party. McMillan-Scott had previously voiced doubts about the formation of the European Conservatives and Reformists group.
In March 2010, he joined the Liberal Democrats
, a member of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
in the European Parliament. On 17 May as agreed before the UK general election, he joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament, although he continues to sit as an independent Vice-President.
, England, one of seven children of Walter and Elisabeth McMillan-Scott, both active Conservatives. He was educated privately by Dominican friars. He became a member of the Conservative Party
in 1967.
from 1984 to 1994, the MEP for North Yorkshire
from 1994 to 1999, and an MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber
from 1999 onwards.
. He was re-elected a Vice-President in 2007. McMillan-Scott's special responsibilities as Vice-President included relations with national EU parliaments and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
, which brings together 280 MPs from the EU
, North Africa and the Middle East. After re-election as Vice-President in 2009, his responsibilities as Vice-President are Democracy and Human Rights, relations with national parliaments, and chairing the European Parliament's Audit Panel.
He was elected chairman of the European Parliament's largest-ever election observer
missions, 30 MEPs, to the Palestinian territories
in January 2005 and January 2006. These observers monitored the Palestinian National Authority
's presidential
and parliamentary
elections.
and countries resisting reform such as China, Cuba and Russia.
He wrote a key report for the European Parliament's foreign affairs select committee on a new EU–China strategy in 1997. Following subsequent visits to China and pre-Olympic crackdowns he initiated a campaign aimed at an EU political boycott of the August 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. In the event, the Presidents of the European Parliament
and European Commission
boycotted the Games, as did the EU's external affairs Commissioner.
He campaigns for improved children's rights across the EU and has dealt with a number of cross-frontier child abduction
cases. He began campaigning for an EU-wide missing child alert, similar to the Amber Alert
system in the USA, with Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing Madeleine. A resolution to this effect, in the summer of 2008, was sponsored by McMillan-Scott and gained the support of a majority of MEPs. In the USA, the Department of Justice's Amber Alert has recovered 400 abducted children since 2003, 80% within the crucial first 72 hours. France has an identical system but other countries, including the UK, rely on a patchwork of police schemes and children's charities.
In 1999 McMillan-Scott was singled out by ‘whistleblower’ Paul van Buitenen for his role in the 1999 fall of the European Commission. The Commission was accused by MEPs of serious irregularities, nepotism and allegations of fraud leading to the resignation of President Jacques Santer and all his commissioners.
His 'Golden Fleece' campaign against fraud and malpractice in the Costa villa and timeshare
market won wide support, leading to the EU Timeshare Directive in 1994. He has continued to campaign for more secure property rights
in the EU's neighbouring states, as buyers move into the Balkans, Turkey and North Africa, where the legal framework is less secure.
McMillan-Scott is a vegetarian and campaigns for less meat consumption.
He is a well-known supporter of European integration
. In 2010, he signed the Spinelli Group
manifesto.
(EPP). After the election, jointly with the then leader of the Conservative Party William Hague
, McMillan-Scott negotiated the 'Malaga Agreement' which provided for a more detached relationship between the 36 British Conservative MEPs and the newly formed European People's Party–European Democrats
(EPP-ED) coalition. This agreement remained in force until the 2009 elections
when the Conservatives broke links with the EPP and formed part of the new European Conservatives and Reformists
(ECR) group.
Following his re-election to the European Parliament, McMillan-Scott left the EPP group and joined the new ECR group in accordance with the Conservative manifesto for the election.
He attended the inaugural meeting of the new group, in Brussels
on 24 June, where he expressed the view that he was uncomfortable with some members of the group having possible links with extremist groups.
In July 2009 he successfully stood for re-election as Vice-President of the European Parliament against the official candidate of the new ECR group, Michał Kamiński a Polish
MEP from the Law and Justice Party
. As a result of his candidature the whip
was withdrawn by Timothy Kirkhope
, the leader of the British Conservative delegation.
McMillan-Scott was then seated as a non-attached (Non-Inscrit) MEP in the European Parliament, though he remained a member of the British Conservative Party.
On 10 August 2009, William Hague
wrote a letter to McMillan-Scott outlining the conditions of the restoration of the whip and saying failure to comply would result in further action being taken. On 15 September 2009, he was expelled from the Conservative Party without further notice having failed to undertake any of the conditions requested in Hague's earlier letter.
Shortly after this he accused the Conservative Party of attempting to alter pages on Wikipedia "to airbrush the embarrassing past" of Michał Kamiński chairman of the ECR. He also stated, quite correctly, that his own article had been edited in this way. An article published in The Observer
newspaper reports edits to the articles made on 25 June 2009 from an IP
address originating in the United Kingdom House of Commons.
On 12 March 2010 McMillan-Scott joined the Liberal Democrats
. The Liberal Democrats are a member of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
in the European Parliament, which formally joined on 17 May, as agreed with its leadership, after the UK General Election. He remains, in order to maintain the balance for other groups, an independent member of the European Parliament's Bureau (Vice-Presidents and non-voting Quaestors).
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) and one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament. He was re-elected as a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
representative for the Yorkshire and the Humber constituency
Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
in the 2009 election
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
.
After his re-election in 2009, McMillan-Scott stood and was re-elected as one of the Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament in opposition to the official candidate of the European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
group to which he belonged. As a result of his candidature, he had the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
withdrawn and subsequently was expelled from the Conservative Party. McMillan-Scott had previously voiced doubts about the formation of the European Conservatives and Reformists group.
In March 2010, he joined the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, a member of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
in the European Parliament. On 17 May as agreed before the UK general election, he joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament, although he continues to sit as an independent Vice-President.
Early life
McMillan-Scott was born 15 August 1949 in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England, one of seven children of Walter and Elisabeth McMillan-Scott, both active Conservatives. He was educated privately by Dominican friars. He became a member of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in 1967.
European Parliament
McMillan-Scott was elected as the MEP for YorkYork (European Parliament constituency)
York was a European Parliament constituency covering much of North Yorkshire in England.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
from 1984 to 1994, the MEP for North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire (European Parliament constituency)
North Yorkshire was a European Parliament constituency covering much of the county of North Yorkshire in England.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
from 1994 to 1999, and an MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
from 1999 onwards.
Roles and responsibilities
McMillan-Scott was leader of the British Conservative MEPs between September 1997 and December 2001. On 23 July 2004 he was elected fourth of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European ParliamentPresident of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
. He was re-elected a Vice-President in 2007. McMillan-Scott's special responsibilities as Vice-President included relations with national EU parliaments and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly , established in Naples on 3 December 2003 by decision of the Ministerial Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is the most recent institution of the Barcelona Process. The EMPA opened its proceedings in Vouliagmeni on 22 and 23 March 2004...
, which brings together 280 MPs from the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, North Africa and the Middle East. After re-election as Vice-President in 2009, his responsibilities as Vice-President are Democracy and Human Rights, relations with national parliaments, and chairing the European Parliament's Audit Panel.
He was elected chairman of the European Parliament's largest-ever election observer
Election monitoring
Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization , primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international standards. There are national...
missions, 30 MEPs, to the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
in January 2005 and January 2006. These observers monitored the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
's presidential
Palestinian presidential election, 2005
The 2005 Palestinian presidential election — the first to be held since 1996 — took place on January 9, 2005 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Voters elected PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas as the new President of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat, who died on November 11,...
and parliamentary
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
elections.
Campaigning
In 1992 McMillan-Scott was the founder of the European Democracy Initiative, whose intention was the development of democracy and civil society in the ex-Soviet bloc countries, and which is now directed towards the reforming Arab worldArab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
and countries resisting reform such as China, Cuba and Russia.
He wrote a key report for the European Parliament's foreign affairs select committee on a new EU–China strategy in 1997. Following subsequent visits to China and pre-Olympic crackdowns he initiated a campaign aimed at an EU political boycott of the August 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
Beijing Olympic Games. In the event, the Presidents of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
boycotted the Games, as did the EU's external affairs Commissioner.
He campaigns for improved children's rights across the EU and has dealt with a number of cross-frontier child abduction
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
cases. He began campaigning for an EU-wide missing child alert, similar to the Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
system in the USA, with Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing Madeleine. A resolution to this effect, in the summer of 2008, was sponsored by McMillan-Scott and gained the support of a majority of MEPs. In the USA, the Department of Justice's Amber Alert has recovered 400 abducted children since 2003, 80% within the crucial first 72 hours. France has an identical system but other countries, including the UK, rely on a patchwork of police schemes and children's charities.
In 1999 McMillan-Scott was singled out by ‘whistleblower’ Paul van Buitenen for his role in the 1999 fall of the European Commission. The Commission was accused by MEPs of serious irregularities, nepotism and allegations of fraud leading to the resignation of President Jacques Santer and all his commissioners.
His 'Golden Fleece' campaign against fraud and malpractice in the Costa villa and timeshare
Timeshare
A timeshare is a form of ownership or right to the use of a property, or the term used to describe such properties. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each sharer is allotted a period of time in which they may use...
market won wide support, leading to the EU Timeshare Directive in 1994. He has continued to campaign for more secure property rights
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
in the EU's neighbouring states, as buyers move into the Balkans, Turkey and North Africa, where the legal framework is less secure.
McMillan-Scott is a vegetarian and campaigns for less meat consumption.
He is a well-known supporter of European integration
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, political, legal, economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe...
. In 2010, he signed the Spinelli Group
Spinelli Group
The Spinelli Group is a pro-European initiative that was founded with a view to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union , by creating a network of citizens, think tanks, NGOs, academics, writers and politicians who support the idea of a federal and united Europe...
manifesto.
Defection to Liberal Democrats
Prior to the European Elections of June 1999, the British Conservative MEPs were allied members of the European People's PartyEuropean People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP). After the election, jointly with the then leader of the Conservative Party William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, McMillan-Scott negotiated the 'Malaga Agreement' which provided for a more detached relationship between the 36 British Conservative MEPs and the newly formed European People's Party–European Democrats
European People's Party–European Democrats
The Group of the European People's Party , abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament...
(EPP-ED) coalition. This agreement remained in force until the 2009 elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
when the Conservatives broke links with the EPP and formed part of the new European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
(ECR) group.
Following his re-election to the European Parliament, McMillan-Scott left the EPP group and joined the new ECR group in accordance with the Conservative manifesto for the election.
He attended the inaugural meeting of the new group, in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 24 June, where he expressed the view that he was uncomfortable with some members of the group having possible links with extremist groups.
In July 2009 he successfully stood for re-election as Vice-President of the European Parliament against the official candidate of the new ECR group, Michał Kamiński a Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
MEP from the Law and Justice Party
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
. As a result of his candidature the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
was withdrawn by Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy Kirkhope
Timothy John Robert Kirkhope is a British lawyer and politician, currently serving as Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the Conservative Party. After serving for ten years as Member of Parliament for Leeds North East, he was first elected to the European Parliament...
, the leader of the British Conservative delegation.
McMillan-Scott was then seated as a non-attached (Non-Inscrit) MEP in the European Parliament, though he remained a member of the British Conservative Party.
On 10 August 2009, William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
wrote a letter to McMillan-Scott outlining the conditions of the restoration of the whip and saying failure to comply would result in further action being taken. On 15 September 2009, he was expelled from the Conservative Party without further notice having failed to undertake any of the conditions requested in Hague's earlier letter.
Shortly after this he accused the Conservative Party of attempting to alter pages on Wikipedia "to airbrush the embarrassing past" of Michał Kamiński chairman of the ECR. He also stated, quite correctly, that his own article had been edited in this way. An article published in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper reports edits to the articles made on 25 June 2009 from an IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
address originating in the United Kingdom House of Commons.
On 12 March 2010 McMillan-Scott joined the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. The Liberal Democrats are a member of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
in the European Parliament, which formally joined on 17 May, as agreed with its leadership, after the UK General Election. He remains, in order to maintain the balance for other groups, an independent member of the European Parliament's Bureau (Vice-Presidents and non-voting Quaestors).