British justice fears

Euro-MP Paul Nuttall

Fears that the EU is intent on seizing control of Britain’s justice system have been raised by local MEP Paul Nuttall.

“A new league table of Europe’s legal systems, the first annual ‘Justice Scorecard,’ has been unveiled in Brussels comparing how criminal trials are conducted in the EU’s 27 member states,” he explained.

“This is another power grab by these Eurocrats, who want to rule every aspect of our lives - and it must be resisted. I have no doubt they are compiling data as a step towards imposing a single criminal justice system across the EU that will be controlled by unelected European judges.

“We have the finest legal system in the world and it operates differently from that in the other EU states. Imposing their harmonisation ‘one size suits all’ principle will be a total disaster for British justice.

“You cannot have a league table involving disparate justice systems across Europe, including details such as how quickly cases come to court and how many offenders are convicted. There is already too much box ticking going on in our courts without more civil service fingerprints all over it,” he said.

European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has claimed the audit is aimed at “improving the quality, independence and efficiency of national judicial systems” and she is expected to unveil plans for a new European Public Prosecutor this summer.

“Even the dopiest defendant could read the writing on the wall as far as EU bulldozer tactics here are concerned,” said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Deputy Leader.

“I would like to say that I am confident that our Justice Secretary Chris Grayling will be successful in fighting it, as he has vowed, but I’m not.

“Time and again this government just rolls over while Brussels marches all over us. That’s because they are usually powerless to stop it and because actually they are Europhiles.”