Left-Wing MEPs Dislike Lord Hill for His Private Sector Experience

The British candidate for European commissioner was today hit by accusations of selling a “fairy tale” as he faced MEPs for the second time.

The former leader of the House of Lords opened the second hearing by offering his hopes for where the EU would be economically in 2019.

In a very pro-regulatory speech he said he believed that the EU would have returned to stable growth and high levels of employment, particularly among the young.

The political direction of his speech was perhaps unsurprising since his return to the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee was at the behest of left wing groups such as the Socialists (PSE) and Nordic Green Left.

He also told MEPs that he believed the UK would remain in the EU “following discussions about reform.”

It was evident that there were still concerns about his previous career in Public Relations and lobbying, with some MEPs demanding he say who his company clients were and questioned the trust they had in him.

However he did have support from MEPs from the more right leaning groups in the Parliament.

Tory MEP Dr Kay Swinburne said that her group was “fully behind Lord Hill’s candidature as Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union.”

“He is a hugely intelligent individual who will make an excellent commissioner.” she told Breitbart London, adding: “His follow up hearing this week will be a great opportunity for him to continue to outline his vision for financial services legislation and the Capital Markets Union in particular, with more detail on those financial services issues that matter to the MEPs constituents and the entire EU.”

Some people have said that the reason Lord Hill was not supported the first time around by left wing groups was because he had genuine business experience in the private sector where he was a founder of a successful company.

And there were eyebrows raised at the question asked by UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn who, instead of asking about Lord Hill’s suitability tried to make a domestic political point about the competition between UKIP and the Conservative Party.

O’Flynn asked Lord Hill if he had been given the job to avoid a sitting MP having to resign.

Dr Swinburne took to twitter to say that UKIP weren’t interested in Lord Hill’s “competence but only in by-elections.”

“Yet again, [they] are not doing their basic job as MEPs” she tweeted.