I HAVE had an early Christmas present!

Having braved the wrath of your letter writers over the past year by being one of the few politicians in the North West vigorously to defend Britain's membership of the European Union, one of our most senior Conservatives has now come to my aid.

Hitting out at "obsessive and destructive" eurosceptics (Lord) Richard Inglewood has risked criticism from within his party by speaking at the launch of the "North West in Europe" campaign (Dec 7), and strongly reaffirming Conservative party support for Britain's membership of the European Union.

Lord Inglewood is not just any old Tory; he can claim to be the Conservative's top spokesman in the North West. Conservative party members across the region chose him two years ago to head their list of candidates in the European Parliament elections. Fighting under the slogan "In Europe, but not run by Europe" the party won five of the ten North West seats. So it was good to hear our region's top Tory MEP now insisting that emphasis had to be placed on Britain being in Europe. And for those of us tired of the myths and downright lies spread by the eurosceptics it was refreshing to hear such a senior Conservative describe the EU as "an essential part of British government in the year 2000", and insisting that "the nation state must evolve to take account of new realities".

He pulled no punches with critics in his own party. "Rampant, obsessive, euroscepticism bears no relation to the real problems of government," he said. Indeed, he described it as "very un-Conservative!"

Richard Inglewood has shown courage in speaking out, given the tide of hostility within the present Conservative Party to all things European. But he was right to do so. It is important for our country that the official Opposition stops feeding the frenzy of the eurosceptics and starts to explain the good reasons why European nations now share their sovereignty.

CHRIS DAVIES MEP,

Liberal Democrat, North West.