Although he sat as a crossbencher, Neill’s stance on the EU was more in keeping with eurosceptic Conservatives. He argued forcefully that the 1972 European Communities Act, by which Britain joined the EEC, had overthrown constitutional law and tradition. Later, he was highly critical of the European Court, saying that its judgements were designed to advance the cause of greater European integration. “A court with a mission is a menace,” wrote Neill. “A supreme court with a mission is a tyranny.” In 1996 the home secretary Michael Howard adopted the phrase when he argued that British courts should be forbidden from enforcing European Community law.