Farage (EDD). – Madam President, I am very pleased to say that all three UKIP MEPs have joined together with 20 other Members of this House. We come from five different political groups and from the non-attached Members, and yes, we are fighting this case at the Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

There are several reasons for doing so, but the key reason is one of simple principle: I do not think there is any evidence that suggests that the voters in my country or in any other country are happy for their money directly to finance political parties at a European level. Certainly the feedback I get in the UK tells me that the perception is that far too much money is already being spent on political projects, both at home and most certainly – of all places – here in Strasbourg.

I have also felt, ever since Nice and Article 191, that this idea that you qualify if you conform to the democratic principles of the Union is potentially a dangerous one. What Mr Corbett says about the principles of the Union may sound fine, but we are seeing shifts and changes in the law. Perhaps, in three or four years' time, criticism of the Union itself may mean that you no longer conform to the democratic principles of the Union and therefore you are not just denied funding, but possibly even banned. The motivation is clear: it is to create a European demos which at the moment simply does not exist.

I have some difficulty with the issue of the rule of law. It seems to me that, post-Constitution, some in this place – and I am one of them – will not recognise that new rule of law because we will only be able to leave the EU on the terms of the EU. I do not believe it would be a legitimate act for a British Government to sign us up to the Constitution on behalf of our people on these terms, and in those circumstances I should be perfectly happy not to qualify for this funding.