Ted Heath

Two decades after he made the above comment, the former Tory Prime Minister was much more candid. Asked in a BBC interview if he had known that Britain was signing up to a federal European state, he replied, 'Of course, yes'.

Also hidden from the electorate during Heath's negotiations to join the Common Market in the early 1970s was the fact that he consciously gave away British sovereignty of its territorial fishing waters.

Up to that point fishing had not been included in any treaties: it was not even mentioned in the Treaty of Rome.

But, in the final weeks leading up to Britain becoming a signatory to the Treaty of Rome, Heath used the fishing industry as a bargaining chip regardless of the consequences.

Cabinet papers released in January 2001 revealed that 'as the horrific implications of handing over our waters dawned on our MPs, Ministers and civil servants adopted a systematic policy of concealing what was happening. [Ministers considered] it vital not to get drawn into an explanation of what was going on or to admit what a disaster was in store for Britain's fishermen [who] in the wider context must be regarded as expendable' (Sunday Telegraph 14.01.01).

At the same time a Government White Paper entitled 'Britain and Europe', boldly declared 'the Government is determined to secure proper safeguards for the British fishing industry'.

In addition, Geoffrey Rippon, a Cabinet Minister and part of Heath's negotiating team, told the Commons in December 71, 'We retain full jurisdiction over our coastal waters'.

This was deeply misleading. The British fishing industry immediately became subject to the Common Fisheries Policy resulting in the decimation of the industry and the destruction of some of the finest fishing waters in the Western world.

On the 1st of January, 1973 Britain became a member of the Common Market. The British people didn't know it at the time but they had just signed up belong to a federal European state.

Is it any wonder our politicians are not trusted?