Hillary Clinton blasts Conservative MEPs over support for far-right Hungarian government
2 min read
Hillary Clinton has blasted the Conservative party over its support for Hungary’s far-right government in the European Parliament.
Tory MEPs last month opposed a motion condemning Viktor Orban's authoritarian regime, which has been accused of racism, anti-Semitism, restricting press freedom and undermining judicial independence.
Today Ms Clinton criticised the move saying it was “disheartening to watch Conservatives in Brussels vote to shield Viktor Orban from censure, including British Tories".
"They’ve come a long way from the party of Churchill and Thatcher," she added.
Conservative representatives in Brussels attracted widespread condemnation after the vote, which called for disciplinary action against Hungary.
The motion required a two-thirds majority in the European Parliament and was eventually carried by 448 votes to 197, however most Tory MEPs voted against it.
In the wake of the controversy Conservative Party chiefs defended the MEPs, with a party spokesman saying: "Victor Orban has a track record of responding to legal moves not political threats.
"Politicising the issue at this early stage simply undermines any future legal action, while boosting Orban's domestic support.”
However, Buzzfeed has since seen WhatsApp messages from Downing Street urging MEPs to distance themselves from Orban’s regime.
Ms Clinton continued: "The slide toward autocracy is at least as grave a threat to the European project as the financial crisis or Brexit…
"We can’t be taken in by self-styled realists or admirers of strongmen, who argue that human rights are luxuries that must be sacrificed in pursuit of stability or security.
"Democracies sticking together is the first thing we must do.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
