At the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15 January, Claire spoke on the parliament’s debate on whether to penalise Hungary under the rules of Article 7. She began by paying tribute to Roger Scruton, who recently passed, praising his courage in assisting Eastern Europe in their struggle against authoritarian communism. Claire said that these nations having only recently fought for their sovereignty were once again under threat by the EU, whose actions were beginning to mirror those of USSR.