Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine has called for a
Marshall Plan-style programme of European support for poorer
countries to stem the flow of migrants seeking a better life in
the West.
Lord Heseltine warned that the movement of people around the
globe is “in its infancy compared with what generations yet to
come are going to face”. Any credible solution must involve not
only working with European neighbours to create a “protective
barrier” around the continent, but also providing incentives for
would-be migrants to stay in their home countries, he said.
The proposal was one of an array of ideas floated in an interview
for the Lord Speaker’s Corner podcast, in which the veteran
statesman showed that at the age of 90 he retains all his vigour
and his passion for politics.
“There is no solution to British immigration that does not
involve Europe,” Lord Heseltine told the Lord Speaker, .
“The only credible solution is a two-fold solution. One is to put
a wall - a ring, a protective barrier - around Europe.
“That would be seen by many people as an immoral reaction to
poverty outside. But if you were to couple it with a Marshall Aid
programme, of the sort the Americans did after the Second World
War, and to come to deals with the countries from which the
immigrants are coming to create the conditions that persuade them
to stay there, then you have an effective policy and you have a
moral policy.”
Not only on migration, but also on long-term issues like trade,
global warming and new technology, Lord Heseltine, a senior
member of the Conservative cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John
Major, said it was essential for the UK to work closely with its
European neighbours.
And he told Lord McFall that, as one of the generation growing up
in the aftermath of the Second World War, “the epicentre of my
political faith” was the imperative to prevent a return of the
divisions which tore the continent apart.
“My generation saw that as a vision, as compatible with the
concept of humanity and peaceful conditions in a way that history
had denied so many people,” said Lord Heseltine.
In an interview which ranged over Lord Heseltine’s 57-year career
in Parliament, the peer said he hoped his involvement in the
regeneration of Merseyside after the 1981 riots would stand as
his political legacy.
Recalling his efforts to bring together people from all sides of
local politics to work together to tackle an “atmosphere of
decline and despair”, Lord Heseltine said: “Liverpool changed me.
There's no doubt in my mind.”
One of the most moving moments of his life came when he was
offered the freedom of the City of Liverpool, he told Lord
McFall, adding: “It brought tears to my eyes.”
Regional regeneration remains a central part of Lord Heseltine’s
work both inside and outside the House of Lords, and he explained
how he believes it could be turbocharged by cutting England’s
historic patchwork of hundreds of councils to just 60 urban and
county authorities.
On Lords reform, he said that any prime minister should think
long and hard before attempting to change a system which appears
anachronistic, but allows for non-partisan and expert scrutiny
and revision of proposed laws.
“The British constitution is a very sophisticated process,” said
Lord Heseltine. “Nobody would create it if they started with a
piece of paper and a crayon.
“But that's not the point. It's what we've got. And before you
change it, you should be very clear that what you're putting in
its place is better and therefore more effective in delivering
what people want. I don't see what that would be.”
Lord Heseltine is the latest senior member of the House of Lords
to record a conversation with Lord McFall for the Lord Speaker’s
Corner podcast. The series aims to give listeners and viewers an
insight into the work of Parliament’s second chamber and the
experience and expertise of its members.
Previous episodes have featured Kindertransport refugee , film-maker and online child
protection campaigner , human rights lawyer and former
Cabinet minister and chair of the Covid Memorial Commission
of Cotes.
Lord Heseltine’s interview can be found at https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/february-2023/lord-speakers-corner/ and
on the House of Lords YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLilBYVf0P9aZDem5HGihI2FtS0meH3M6q from
Monday 17 July or downloaded from your usual podcast!
provider.
Notes to editors:
The Marshall Plan saw the USA provide support totalling $13.3
billion – the equivalent of around $175bn in today’s prices –
towards rebuilding the economies of Western Europe in the
aftermath of the Second World War.
Click here for a transcript of Lord Heseltine’s
interview and excerpt 1, excerpt
2 and excerpt 3 from the
video recording, free for use under an embargo of 0001 Monday 17
July.
