Today's Daily Mail scare story exposes a new EU Tory split with Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve outflanking Daniel Hannan as a eurosceptic.
Today’s Daily Mail scare story exposes a new EU Tory split with Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve outflanking Daniel Hannan as a eurosceptic.
The story titled “Could the EU ‘house grab’ law be applied to UK homes?” outlines fears that:
“British citizens could have their homes snatched from them on the orders of a European court under a new Brussels power grab.”
Dominic Grieve is quoted saying:
“It beggars belief that Ministers are considering signing up to rules which would create such uncertainty in the property market and could even see British families lose their homes as a result of legal cases overseas involving people they have never known and in which they might not be represented.
“The Government’s own advisers say that this rule could ‘blight’ properties and add considerable costs to moving home, so we should not hesitate to reject it.”
But these fears are just that: a scare story. Although in many EU countries, there is a legal requirement that a proportion of the deceased estate should be left to blood relatives, this will not apply in the UK. Indeed, the Government has made clear that it will remain a fundamental principle of UK law that individuals are free to determine what to do with their assets during their lifetime and to determine (by making a will) how any remaining assets are distributed after their death.
And praise for the legislation comes from an unusual source. Eurosceptic MEP Daniel Hannan, who recently resigned from his front bench role in protest at David Cameron’s Lisbon Treaty u-turn, released a press release on the law chanhe in October, which said:
“What is being proposed is proportionate, restrained and, above all, voluntary. At a time when many in Brussels are pursuing the mistaken goal of the harmonisation of civil law, this idea represents a superior alternative: one that would allow the citizen to choose between different national systems.
“If the EU restricted itself to cross-border issues of this kind, it might not be so unpopular.”
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
7 Responses to “New Tory EU split as Grieve outflanks Hannan as sceptic”
Will Straw
New Tory EU split as Grieve outflanks Hannan as sceptic http://bit.ly/5xMjk1
Costello
So a single Tory MEP is quoted given an opinion which conflicts with a quote given by a single Tory MP. Wow, civil war in the Conservative Party must be just round the corner.
Anon E Mouse
I hate paying taxes when I’m alive, especially when they go to pay for duck houses for MP’s and not to help the poor and I applaud Alistar Darling for increasing Inheritance Tax – nice one.
I hate the state having control of your assets when you’re dead – the less I have to give to these vagabonds and thieves the better so it’s a good story I think…
Rob
“Although in many EU countries, there is a legal requirement that a proportion of the deceased estate should be left to blood relatives, this will not apply in the UK. Indeed, the Government has made clear that it will remain a fundamental principle of UK law that individuals are free to determine what to do with their assets during their lifetime and to determine (by making a will) how any remaining assets are distributed after their death.”
Sorry Will, but that’s a half truth. It’s true that UK law will allow people to choose what to do with their property, but UK law won’t necessarily govern the descent of a British property under these rules. If a person in another country – say Belgium – challenges a transaction in London as having been designed to evade Belgian forced heirship rules, then they will be able to apply to have a Belgian court undo the transaction, and the UK courts will be forced to enforce the ruling. So UK law may uphold freedom of choice, but you have 26 other legal systems which may not, and under this rule they will be able to govern descent of UK property.
Mark
But Rob this proposal does not apply to cases where an asset has been sold. The Daily Mail says the following: “Plans for an EU shake-up of inheritance law will leave homeowners vulnerable to the potential loss of their property if it was ever owned by someone with relatives abroad.”
Completely wrong. It could only apply if it was given to them by someone with relatives abroad.
The Mail goes on:
“That means the relatives in France, Germany or Spain could stake a claim to property which has since been purchased by someone else in Britain.”
That is also completely wrong. There could never be “clawback” on a property previous owned by someone else. It could only apply if a property had been given to another person.