EUROPE was the topic on the menu at a lunch meeting of the Bromsgrove Conservatives Association of Ladies.

Philip Bushill-Matthews, Tory member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, was guest speaker at the luncheon on Thursday, December 19.

The Christmas meal was held at the Ladybird Inn in Aston Fields, although there were pressing issues on the agenda as well as the traditional festivities.

Philip said: "The ladies were keen to hear about the impact of the enlargement with ten new countries joining the European Union. They shared my hope that the inclusion of so many different countries should make the idea of a one-size-fits all federal Europe much less likely.

"The other point of concern was the Euro: with these other weak economies due to join in 2006, the case for UK membership becomes weaker by the day," he added.