As a result, the idea was buried after the election, and ministers contented themselves with separating the "policy" and "operations" parts of UKBA, repatriating policy to the Home Office to be closer to ministers.
One for the City, and one for the rest of the E.U. "Repatriating full policy responsibility for financial services would mean leaving the single market as a whole and de facto the E.U.," Mr. Barnier said, adding: "I believe the U.K. would lose out on many of its own interests if it chose that path".
Repatriating those policies would mean that Germany paid much less towards the EU.
Meanwhile, in his FT article, Sir John - one of Mr Cameron's predecessors - says deeper eurozone integration "may encourage non-euro member states to seek to repatriate key policies they can't influence".
The same with fisheries - is it just because British fishermen cannot compete with firms from other EU member states that he wants to repatriate fisheries policies, or is there a better argument?
The prime minister hopes to begin a much wider renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Brussels which would see other powers - for example, on social and employment policy - repatriated.
The concerted Franco-Italian initialsoe also called for accords between the EU and north African countries on repatriating immigrants, a policy certain to spark outrage among human rights groups, the refugee lobby, and more liberal EU governments.
MetLife's chief executive, Steven A. Kandarian, said in an annual presentation to investors on Tuesday that repatriating MetLife's policy obligations from Exeter "proactively addresses recent regulatory concerns" about such deals, adding that Mr. Lawsky's inquiry had been an important factor.
He went on to call for some powers to be repatriated from Brussels to national capitals, including social policy and some parts of farm and regional support.Admittedly, the Dutch government has endorsed the draft EU constitution, but it has also made clear that it should bring to a halt the process of integration for some time to come.
To address inequalities in the UK, Brown called for EU powers over agriculture, fisheries, regional policies and social funds to be repatriated not to Westminster but nations and regions.
