A letter to the Daily Telegraph which was published on 14th May 1992.

Mr Major’s assertion that the sovereignty of Parliament “is not a matter that is up for grabs” (report, May 13th) is destined to be placed alongside the remark of another Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, who said on the eve of the referendum in 1975 that the threat of economic and monetary union “has been removed”.

The 1988 Merchant Shipping Act, which was passed by the House of Commons without a single dissenting voice, in effect has been completely set aside by the European court.

If that is not handing over the sovereignty of Parliament, perhaps Mr Major could explain what he thinks it is.

On the eve of ratifying the Maastricht Treaty, MPs should ask themselves if the present Prime Minister is merely deceiving himself, or actively trying to deceive the British people as to the true import of this Treaty.

Behind a smokescreen of babble about democracy, trade and level playing fields, every single act of the European Commission, from which this profoundly undemocratic Treaty stems, is directed at one goal and one goal only, the incorporation of this and other countries into a single state, like America, Australia or India.

No MP who cares about the actual foundations of our democracy, as expressed, for instance, in Clause 39 of Magna Carta (1215) and Section 1 of the Bill of Rights (1689), can possibly in conscience vote for this Treaty.