Major Urges His Party to Support United Europe

Prime Minister John Major rallied a battered Conservative Party behind him Friday, ending his party’s annual conference with a rousing speech calling on Tories to follow his lead on Europe.

He seemed successful in his attempt to isolate his party critics who object to close relations with the European Community, buoyed by the lukewarm reception accorded Lady Thatcher, his predecessor and a Euro-skeptic.

“It is right to speak plainly and directly,” Major said in his closing speech at Brighton, “even if for some it is uncomfortable. It is time the distortions were put to one side. It is time to return the debate to reality and away from myth.”

He acknowledged that there are genuine fears and misunderstandings within the party about Britain’s relationship with the European Community. Thatcher had written, and Lord Norman Tebbit had spoken out, against closer ties to Europe.

Major insisted that Britain’s support for the Maastricht Treaty, which calls for closer political and economic union among the nations of Europe, is necessary for British economic interests. In his 59-minute address, Major ridiculed Conservatives who would rend the party by their opposition to Maastricht.

And he seemed to gather Tory support for his economic policies, which have come under widespread attack since the run on the pound two weeks ago. That dire financial situation led Major and Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont to take Britain out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

Playing to a jingoist audience, Major mentioned the words “British” and “Britain” no less than 52 times, declaring, “Britain’s interests will come first, last, always.”

In arguing that it is better for Britain to fight for its interests within the EC, Major told the appreciative audience: “You cannot bully Britain. I will never--come hell or high water--let our distinctive British identity be lost in a federal Europe.”

He vowed that the government policy remains low taxes and low inflation. Without spelling out new, specific remedies to revive the economy, Major insisted on resisting pleas for increased public spending; he called for a return to “that old and vivid slogan--Britain means business.”