Britain 'smothered' with EU laws

UKIP's Lord Pearson said most laws affecting British business originated in Brussels and were merely "rubber stamped" in the Commons and the Lords.

He said it meant there was a "growing divorce" between MPs and the public.

His bill, to be debated by peers on Friday, urges an inquiry into the implications of withdrawal from the EU.

Lord Pearson, a former Conservative backbencher who switched to UKIP in January, has the backing of several MPs and peers including Labour's Austin Mitchell, Conservatives Lord Tebbit and Lord Vinson and Independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart.

Cost of membership

The European Union (Implications of Withdrawal) Bill, calls for an independent committee to examine the implications for the UK of withdrawing from the EU.

This would include outlining the financial cost of EU membership and its effects on its economy, constitution and security.

"I believe this inquiry would be a breath of fresh air"
Lord Pearson

On Thursday, Lord Pearson said much legislation merely being rubber stamped by Parliament - if it was seen at all - leading to "a growing divorce between the people of this country and the discredited hen-coop of Westminster".

He added: "I believe this inquiry would be a breath of fresh air. It would blow away a lot of myths and it would open up a genuine debate in this country."

But he said the government would "go a long way to avoid any inquiry of this kind".

'Backdoor revival'

Mr Mitchell said the bill was particularly topical, as the European Council appeared to be attempting a "backdoor revival" of the European Constitution - rejected by Dutch and French voters in 2005.

And Lord Vinson added animosity would grow if the state kept getting "its fingers into just about everything".

"Inevitably people will break the law more and more and we will become a more law-breaking society," he said.

"It cannot be helped if you smother people with regulations."

Accountability 'failure'

In May Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett was criticised for not giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee about the government's Europe policy.

And in March the EU scrutiny committee complained MPs had not been given the chance to debate an EU plan to transfer prison inmates between member states.

In both cases the committees complained there had been a failure of accountability to Parliament.

Labour says it is in Britain's interests to be at the heart of Europe and argues it has helped to make the EU work better.

On Tuesday, the prime minister's spokesman said the UK would not give up its veto on crime policies - after the home affairs committee said it saw no justification for "a major transfer of power" to the EU.