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Veto authorized if the 'Six' insist upon weight increase
Page 26
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from our political correspondent
• Mr John Peyton, Minister for Transport Industries, will be authorized to use Britain's veto if the Common Market countries insist on raising the axle weight limit for commercial vehicles from 10 to 11 tons.
It would be the first time Britain has used its right of veto.
But there is growing confidence at the DoE that this will not be necessary.
It is expected that the whole question of lorry weights will be settled in principle when the EEC Transport Ministers meet in Luxembourg on June 25.
Mr Peyton has already made it clear that Britain is not prepared to make any concessions on axle weight limits on the grounds that this would cause severe damage to British roads. There are strong indications that West Germany, Belgium, Holland and Denmark will support the British stand, leaving France the main champion of an 11-ton axle weight.
Mr Peyton may, however, be in a more conciliatory mood when it comes to overall lorry weight limits.
The Government would like it to remain at 32 tons, but a number of EEC countries already allows 38 metric tons.
If Mr Peyton is prepared to compromise and meet them at between 36 and 38 tonnes France, which supports the Commission proposal for 40 metric tons, might again he isolated.
But all this will stiffen France's resistance to British demands for an early increase in the quota of British lorries allowed to undertake Continental journeys.