Bruges Group (United Kingdom)

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This article is about the British think tank. For the agricultural policy think tank, see Groupe de Bruges.

The Bruges Group
Type
President
Norman Tebbit
DirectorRobert Oulds
Address
246 Linen Hall, 162–168 Regent Street
,
London
,
W1B 5TB
,
United Kingdom
Websitebrugesgroup.com

The Bruges Group is a

Lord Stoddart of Swindon and Lord Shore of Stepney
.

The Bruges Group's honorary president was former Prime Minister

Lord Tebbit and the current chairman is Barry Legg
who was chief executive of the Conservative Party and a former Member of Parliament.

The stated mission of the Bruges Group is: 'to promote discussion on the European Union and to advance the education of the public on European affairs. The Bruges Group's research also explores alternative international relationships and policies'.[3]

Background

Part of the politics series on
Thatcherism
Margaret Thatcher
Philosophy
People
Organisations
Related movements

Founding

Founded in February 1989, the Bruges Group's original aim was to promote the idea of a less centralised European structure than what they felt was emerging in

Oxford University student Patrick Robertson in response to Margaret Thatcher's Bruges speech to the College of Europe
in September 1988, during which she remarked that:

I want to see us work more closely on the things we can do better together than alone. Europe is stronger when we do so, whether it be in trade, in defence or in our relations with the rest of the world. But working more closely together does not require power to be centralised in Brussels or decisions to be taken by an appointed bureaucracy. … We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.[4][2]

Thatcher had cooperated with

European Parliaments
.

The group was a rallying point for rebellious

backbench Conservative MPs during House of Commons debates over the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.[7]

Lord Ralph Harris, who had been general director of the Institute of Economic Affairs 1957 to 1988, was chairman from 1989 until 1991 when he was replaced by professor Kenneth Minogue.[8]

1993–present

In 1993, Dr Martin Holmes (

Rt. Hon. Lord Lamont of Lerwick, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1990–1993, remarked that the Bruges Group maintains 'a vital influence on the European debate and I hope others will support it enthusiastically.'[13] The Rt. Hon. John Redwood MP also remarked that the Bruges Group 'has set out many important points in the debate about the way Europe is careering towards a superstate and the way in which Britain needs a different and better relationship with our European partners.'[13]

Its first annual conference was held in 1994 at King's College and has been held there ever since. The Bruges Group played a leading role in stopping the United Kingdom from entering the Eurozone.[14] Martin Holmes' publication of The Conservative Party and Europe had a strong influence on William Hague.[15] Since then, the annual conference has been held in London and has greatly impacted intellectual debates over Britain's membership in the European Union.[16]

Dr Martin Holmes continued as co-chairman until 2001.[17] Dr Brian Hindley carried on as co-chairman for a few more years and published a number of papers for the Bruges Group.[18]

Another pivotal moment for the Bruges Group came in 2008 at the twentieth anniversary dinner in London. There, Margaret Thatcher and other notable MPs, such as the Sir Peter Tapsell MP, Father of the House of Commons; the Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State for the Environment; the Theresa Villiers MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and the John Redwood MP, held talks over Britain's relationship with the EU. From that point onwards, the Bruges Group heavily influenced the policies of the Conservative Party.[19]

In 2013, then-leader of the

United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage planned to address a Tory party conference in Manchester that was organized by the Bruges Group.[20]

In 2021, the

Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, and James Webber of Shearman & Sterling, addressed the Bruges Group in a Waterloo Day webinar on 'The Future of the Union', on the issues of the Northern Ireland Protocol and how the Johnson government should renegotiate on the status of Northern Ireland
.

Supporters

The Bruges Group works closely with politicians mainly in the Conservative Party, but has also attracted others from Labour and UK Independence parties.[21] The group has also established an Academic Advisory Council which includes Professors Tim Congdon (University of Oxford), Julius Gould (University of Nottingham), Kenneth Minogue (London School of Economics), Christie Davies (University of Reading), Ben Roberts (London School of Economics), Norman Stone (Bilkent University), and Patrick Minford (Cardiff Business School).[7] Its sponsors, patrons, and supporters include:[22]

Activities

The Bruges Group seeks to keep debate on European issues centre stage by commissioning and publishing independent research and by holding meetings and conferences to discuss relevant issues. These events have covered topics like the European Union, immigration, trade, and the euro, and they seek to inform decision-makers and opinion-formers, especially those in Parliament and the media. The Bruges Group also monitors and assesses the voting of members of parliament.[23]

The Bruges Group contends that the EU seeks to extend its influence over individual states’ right to manage their own affairs. As a result, the Group has extended its remit to monitor the EU's policies and regulations relating to the increasing costs of membership, defence, international relations, climate change, national identity, immigration and healthcare.

Internationally the Bruges Group has been particularly active in supporting Euroscepticism in Estonia and discussing issues relating to Turkey and the EU.[citation needed]

2016 Brexit referendum

Brexit supporter holds a 'Vote Leave' sign ahead of the 2016 referendum

Through events, meetings, and papers, the Bruges Group played a key part in the 2016 Brexit

North East Somerset and the chairman of the European Research Group, delivered a speech to the Group stating that a 'no deal' Brexit should not be 'taken off the table'.[26]

Outreach

The Bruges Group regularly holds public events that advocate for looser ties with

press releases
, and interviews with politicians.

Denis MacShane, a former Labour politician and convicted fraudster, remarked that the Bruges Group 'carries a great deal of anti-EU material but set within the bounds of reasonable discourse'.[29] The Bruges Group is also sometimes asked by the media to comment on the positions and policies of the Conservative Party.[30]

The Bruges Group is also active on various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The group regularly posts updates and information about events, articles, and recently published blog posts, as well as relevant Brexit and EU related news.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Bruges Group". Twitter.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781474411790
    .
  3. ^ "Mission Statement". The Bruges Group.
  4. ^ "Speech to the College of Europe ("The Bruges Speech")". margaretthatcher.org.
  5. ^ Kuper, Simon (20 June 2019). "How Oxford university shaped Brexit – and Britain's next prime minister". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  6. ^ Bruges Group website http://www.brugesgroup.com
  7. ^ a b "What is the Bruges Group? | Conservative Home". Conservative Home. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Lord Harris of High Cross". The Daily Telegraph. 19 October 2006.
  9. ISBN 9780230510760
    – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Interview in These Tides magazine – The boundaries of EU-Sceptic thought pushed forward". brugesgroup.com.
  11. ^ "Against EU integration and British involvement in the creation of a European Union super-state". brugesgroup.com.
  12. ^ "Robert Oulds on the Bruges Group, British Global Alternatives and the End of the EU". thedailybell.com. 27 December 2009.
  13. ^ a b "What people say about the group". The Bruges Group.
  14. ^ "50 groups behind Article 50 – Part I". brexitcentral.com. 18 March 2017.
  15. ^ "The Conservative Party and Europe". brugesgroup.com.
  16. ^ Stewart, Ewan. "Britain's Global Leadership: The positive future for a UK outside the EU" (PDF). Campaign for an Independent Britain.
  17. ISBN 9780230510760
    – via Google Books.
  18. ^ "The EU moving forward, but holding the world back". brugesgroup.com.
  19. ISBN 9780719076404
    .
  20. ^ Helm, Toby (27 July 2013). "Nigel Farage to address Bruges group at Tory conference". The Guardian.
  21. ^ "Bruges Group Conference". The Bruges Group.
  22. ISBN 9780826458148
    .
  23. ^ Bruges Group MP League Table http://www.brugesgroup.co.uk/mp/mplist.php#top
  24. ^ "Results and turnout at the EU referendum".
  25. ISSN 0307-1235
    . Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Brexit: Almost 20 government ministers 'meeting in secret' to discuss plans to avoid no deal, reports say". The Independent.
  27. ^ "What is the Bruges Group?". The Conservative Party. 24 January 2013.
  28. ^ BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/business_edition/8701045.stm
  29. ISBN 9780857739063
    .
  30. ^ Daily Politics with Andrew Neil http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/8340299.stm

External links

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