This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/feb/17/four-eu-states-shun-camerons-benefits-plan-politics-live
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Boris Johnson visits Downing Street for EU talks with Cameron - live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.01am GMT | |
| 11:01 | |
| European leaders are understandably wary of Cameron’s proposals to curb benefits for migrant workers, according to Labour MEP Richard Corbett former adviser to European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. In an article for Europe’s World he writes: | |
| For in-work benefits, the draft provisions could lead to employed and taxpaying workers – say, an Irishman, a Brit and a Pole – doing the same job at the same workplace but getting different remuneration for the same work, after tax credits are taken into account. | |
| Fundamentally, the provisions challenge the principle of non-discrimination on ground of nationality laid down in the treaty. Even if this is circumscribed, it’s understandable why other countries are not enthusiastic about this concession, and they all of course know that the issue is a contrived one, as it didn’t feature in Cameron’s initial speech setting out his intentions to seek reforms to the EU. | |
| And most other governments are aware that EU migrants in Britain overall pay more in taxes than they take out in benefits and services. Restricting out-of-work benefits is one thing – and recent case-law at the European Court has made it clear that member countries are entitled to refuse assistance to the so-called benefit tourists, meaning anyone coming to their country simply to claim benefits and not to work. But in-work benefits, not least tax credits and child benefits for employed and therefore taxpaying EU migrants, is another matter. | |
| 10.37am GMT | |
| 10:37 | |
| PA has a helpful summary of what could happen over the next 48 hours and beyond: | |
| Talks on the reform package will reach a potentially decisive stage when the prime minister meets leaders from across the 28-strong bloc at Thursday’s European Council summit to thrash out a deal based on proposals put forward earlier this month. | |
| The wrangling could run into the weekend but, if the package is approved, it will pave the way for a swift referendum. | |
| Cameron is believed to be keen to hold a vote on 23 June as a quick poll would avoid giving Eurosceptics time to make headway with voters and pre-empt a repeat of the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe over the summer months. | |
| Cameron will call a Cabinet meeting on Friday if he secures an early deal on his renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership. | |
| If the summit runs into Friday evening or Saturday, the PM will review whether to call Cabinet ministers in to Number 10 for a rare weekend meeting. | |
| The Cabinet meeting will effectively fire the starting gun on the referendum race, as Eurosceptic ministers will then be allowed to campaign for a Leave vote. | |
| Technical work will also begin, with secondary legislation setting the date and rules for the vote likely to be laid in Parliament rapidly. | |
| The Electoral Commission will rule on which groups are designated the main Remain and Leave groups for the campaign, which must last at least 10 weeks, allowing them access to higher spending limits. | |
| If no agreement is reached at the February summit, there will be a second chance on 17 March, although an emergency meeting could be called before then to preserve some chance of a referendum before the summer. | |
| 10.29am GMT | 10.29am GMT |
| 10:29 | 10:29 |
| Boris Johnson has left talks with Cameron without agreement. | Boris Johnson has left talks with Cameron without agreement. |
| “I’ll be back, no deal” he is reported to have told reporters in Downing Street. | “I’ll be back, no deal” he is reported to have told reporters in Downing Street. |
| Boris leaves number 10 - 'I ll be back - no deal' | Boris leaves number 10 - 'I ll be back - no deal' |
| 10.23am GMT | 10.23am GMT |
| 10:23 | 10:23 |
| On the subject of Johnson, Guardian columnist Rafael Behr, says the London Mayor does “not want to be on the side of the mavericks and also-rans”. Behr puts Johnson in his place: | |
| His trajectory through public life, impressive by many accounts, disappoints his vanity. His first parliamentary career was stalled by gaffe and scandal. His two terms as London mayor leave a thin legacy. His return to the Commons has been unremarkable, and his efforts atwooing colleagues underwhelming. He treats MPs to takeaway curry in tinfoil boxes, while Osborne hosts catered dinners in Downing Street’s state rooms. One guest at a Team Boris reception describes it as a gaggle of “people who feel rejected and passed over” by Cameron. | His trajectory through public life, impressive by many accounts, disappoints his vanity. His first parliamentary career was stalled by gaffe and scandal. His two terms as London mayor leave a thin legacy. His return to the Commons has been unremarkable, and his efforts atwooing colleagues underwhelming. He treats MPs to takeaway curry in tinfoil boxes, while Osborne hosts catered dinners in Downing Street’s state rooms. One guest at a Team Boris reception describes it as a gaggle of “people who feel rejected and passed over” by Cameron. |
| So Johnson is using the referendum to bolster his credentials as a contender. He hoists himself on to the fence for maximum attention before jumping to one side with a show-stopping crash. The strangest aspect of this spectacle is that anyone in the Tory party should go along with it. The idea that the mayor of London has some privileged right to pass judgment on Cameron’s EU deal, that his opinion matters at all when his motives are so flagrantly self-aggrandising, is absurd ... | So Johnson is using the referendum to bolster his credentials as a contender. He hoists himself on to the fence for maximum attention before jumping to one side with a show-stopping crash. The strangest aspect of this spectacle is that anyone in the Tory party should go along with it. The idea that the mayor of London has some privileged right to pass judgment on Cameron’s EU deal, that his opinion matters at all when his motives are so flagrantly self-aggrandising, is absurd ... |
| Too much is now at stake for the process to be hijacked for use as a glorified leadership hustings or an audition to be prime minister before there is a vacancy. Boris’s failure to appreciate that should disqualify him from the job. | Too much is now at stake for the process to be hijacked for use as a glorified leadership hustings or an audition to be prime minister before there is a vacancy. Boris’s failure to appreciate that should disqualify him from the job. |
| Related: Sorry Boris, this referendum is bigger than you | Rafael Behr | Related: Sorry Boris, this referendum is bigger than you | Rafael Behr |
| Updated | |
| at 10.39am GMT | |
| 10.12am GMT | 10.12am GMT |
| 10:12 | 10:12 |
| Boris Johnson wavering? | Boris Johnson wavering? |
| London Mayor Boris Johnson has yet to decide whether to back Cameron on the deal as he holds talks at Number 10. | London Mayor Boris Johnson has yet to decide whether to back Cameron on the deal as he holds talks at Number 10. |
| The BBC’s Norman Smith has been told Johnson’s decision is “very finely balanced”. | The BBC’s Norman Smith has been told Johnson’s decision is “very finely balanced”. |
| Sources close to @MayorofLondon say final decision on whether he backs PMs EU deal is "very finely balanced" | Sources close to @MayorofLondon say final decision on whether he backs PMs EU deal is "very finely balanced" |
| Boris Johnson decision on EU "not predicated on any leadership question" say sources | Boris Johnson decision on EU "not predicated on any leadership question" say sources |
| Sources say @MayorofLondon decision on EU will be based on what he thinks in best interests of the country. | Sources say @MayorofLondon decision on EU will be based on what he thinks in best interests of the country. |
| Boris Johnson arrives for meeting with Robert Peston #whatnottowear pic.twitter.com/Fj6MRZTdKs | Boris Johnson arrives for meeting with Robert Peston #whatnottowear pic.twitter.com/Fj6MRZTdKs |
| 10.02am GMT | 10.02am GMT |
| 10:02 | 10:02 |
| The Telegraph says it has seen the text of proposals by Belgium, France, Hungary and Spain to waterdown Cameron’s deal. | The Telegraph says it has seen the text of proposals by Belgium, France, Hungary and Spain to waterdown Cameron’s deal. |
| It is said to reveal plans to limit benefit curbs to only newly-arrived migrants, and weaken a mechanism sought by George Osborne to prevent Eurozone countries from ganging-up against the City of London. | It is said to reveal plans to limit benefit curbs to only newly-arrived migrants, and weaken a mechanism sought by George Osborne to prevent Eurozone countries from ganging-up against the City of London. |
| 9.54am GMT | 9.54am GMT |
| 09:54 | 09:54 |
| The influential Tory backbencher, Sarah Wollaston, a former GP who chairs the health select committee, has underlined her recent conversion to the Brexit camp, by describing Cameron’s proposed reforms as “homeopathic”. | The influential Tory backbencher, Sarah Wollaston, a former GP who chairs the health select committee, has underlined her recent conversion to the Brexit camp, by describing Cameron’s proposed reforms as “homeopathic”. |
| If the EU regards these homeopathic proposals as a 'contagion' there really is no hope of meaningful reform https://t.co/3Ihg6dBNTA | If the EU regards these homeopathic proposals as a 'contagion' there really is no hope of meaningful reform https://t.co/3Ihg6dBNTA |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.54am GMT | at 9.54am GMT |
| 9.43am GMT | 9.43am GMT |
| 09:43 | 09:43 |
| Politico Europe has plotted the power of European leaders on two axes: Brexit and Migration. | Politico Europe has plotted the power of European leaders on two axes: Brexit and Migration. |
| Poland’s Beata Szydło prime minister rates highest on the Brexit axis as the leader most determined to “throw its weight around” on Britain’s membership of the EU. | Poland’s Beata Szydło prime minister rates highest on the Brexit axis as the leader most determined to “throw its weight around” on Britain’s membership of the EU. |
| Poland, together with Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic have rejected Britain’s proposals to curb child benefits for their migrant workers in western Europe - a key demand in Cameron’s campaign. | Poland, together with Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic have rejected Britain’s proposals to curb child benefits for their migrant workers in western Europe - a key demand in Cameron’s campaign. |
| Great way to understand the #EU summit - @PoliticoRyan's view of who matters round the table https://t.co/JZEnfZ5btB pic.twitter.com/ScCyBFnqe4 | Great way to understand the #EU summit - @PoliticoRyan's view of who matters round the table https://t.co/JZEnfZ5btB pic.twitter.com/ScCyBFnqe4 |
| 9.25am GMT | 9.25am GMT |
| 09:25 | 09:25 |
| Poll: 60% of Europeans want Britain to remain in the EU | Poll: 60% of Europeans want Britain to remain in the EU |
| A big European poll by Lord Ashcroft has found that 60% of Europeans want Britain to remain in the EU. | A big European poll by Lord Ashcroft has found that 60% of Europeans want Britain to remain in the EU. |
| The findings were published in the Eurosceptic Sun which conceded that the poll represents a boost to David Cameron. | The findings were published in the Eurosceptic Sun which conceded that the poll represents a boost to David Cameron. |
| The poll of 28,720 people across all 28 member states by Lord Ashcroft has revealed a total of three out of five Europeans want Britain in Europe. | The poll of 28,720 people across all 28 member states by Lord Ashcroft has revealed a total of three out of five Europeans want Britain in Europe. |
| Only one in 10 said they wanted Britain to leave. | Only one in 10 said they wanted Britain to leave. |
| Would people in other EU countries prefer us to stay or go…? pic.twitter.com/WiVss7X1Up | Would people in other EU countries prefer us to stay or go…? pic.twitter.com/WiVss7X1Up |
| The poll also revealed big national variations in attitudes to membership of the EU. Just over half of people in Britain (52%) regard membership of the EU as positive compared to 67% of Germans and 72% of Spaniards and 63% of French. Of all the countries polled only the Swedes are more Eurosceptic than the Brits, according to Ashcroft’s figures. | The poll also revealed big national variations in attitudes to membership of the EU. Just over half of people in Britain (52%) regard membership of the EU as positive compared to 67% of Germans and 72% of Spaniards and 63% of French. Of all the countries polled only the Swedes are more Eurosceptic than the Brits, according to Ashcroft’s figures. |
| How much do we (and others) like being members of the EU? pic.twitter.com/Rl0VuqDCPz | How much do we (and others) like being members of the EU? pic.twitter.com/Rl0VuqDCPz |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.04am GMT | at 10.04am GMT |
| 8.58am GMT | 8.58am GMT |
| 08:58 | 08:58 |
| The BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has been told that Britain is to put forward details to give the UK’s supreme court more powers to make it harder the European courts to overturn British laws. | The BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has been told that Britain is to put forward details to give the UK’s supreme court more powers to make it harder the European courts to overturn British laws. |
| Speaking on the Today programme about the tip off, she said the legally tricky idea would be proposed alongside the deal being negotiated with Brussels as another way of trying to placate Tory Eurosceptic MPs. | Speaking on the Today programme about the tip off, she said the legally tricky idea would be proposed alongside the deal being negotiated with Brussels as another way of trying to placate Tory Eurosceptic MPs. |
| Kuenssberg has been told that David Cameron will be “working the phones” to share details of the courts idea with MPs, including Boris Johnson, thought to be flirting with the idea of backing the out campaign. | Kuenssberg has been told that David Cameron will be “working the phones” to share details of the courts idea with MPs, including Boris Johnson, thought to be flirting with the idea of backing the out campaign. |
| Sources expect No 10 to start sharing details of Supreme Court sovereignty plan today - | Sources expect No 10 to start sharing details of Supreme Court sovereignty plan today - |
| One of the options would be to declare that the UK supreme court vested with powers akin to those of the German constitutional court, which has the right to assess whether legal acts by the EU’s institutions remain within the scope of the powers of the EU. | One of the options would be to declare that the UK supreme court vested with powers akin to those of the German constitutional court, which has the right to assess whether legal acts by the EU’s institutions remain within the scope of the powers of the EU. |
| Nick Watt pointed out Cameron first floated this idea in a speech at Chatham House in November after Johnson had outlined in a private plea to the prime minister to his calls for an assertion of parliamentary sovereignty. | Nick Watt pointed out Cameron first floated this idea in a speech at Chatham House in November after Johnson had outlined in a private plea to the prime minister to his calls for an assertion of parliamentary sovereignty. |
| 8.38am GMT | 8.38am GMT |
| 08:38 | 08:38 |
| TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said leaving the EU would put at risk workers’ rights such as paid holiday and parental leave. | TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said leaving the EU would put at risk workers’ rights such as paid holiday and parental leave. |
| She urged the EU to provide more jobs and strengthen protection for workers otherwise many will vote to leave, PA reports. | She urged the EU to provide more jobs and strengthen protection for workers otherwise many will vote to leave, PA reports. |
| Ahead of a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, she said: “It won’t be politicians or business leaders who decide the referendum. It will be working people and their families. And yet the debate so far has just been about benefits to business. | Ahead of a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, she said: “It won’t be politicians or business leaders who decide the referendum. It will be working people and their families. And yet the debate so far has just been about benefits to business. |
| “Leaving the EU would risk lots of the rights at work we all rely on - like paid holidays and breaks, parental leave, health and safety, and equal treatment for part-time workers. | “Leaving the EU would risk lots of the rights at work we all rely on - like paid holidays and breaks, parental leave, health and safety, and equal treatment for part-time workers. |
| “People will only vote to stay in the EU if it offers them more and better jobs, with a stronger voice for workers, and fair growth at its heart. That’s what I’ll be putting to President Juncker today.” | “People will only vote to stay in the EU if it offers them more and better jobs, with a stronger voice for workers, and fair growth at its heart. That’s what I’ll be putting to President Juncker today.” |
| Meanwhile, a Guardian editorial urges Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is due in Brussels, to put his qualms about Europe aside and restate Labour’s position on Europe. | Meanwhile, a Guardian editorial urges Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is due in Brussels, to put his qualms about Europe aside and restate Labour’s position on Europe. |
| Mr Corbyn is by instinct more Eurosceptic than his party. In this respect he is out of step not just with most Labour MPs, but also with most trade unions and most Labour voters. Since becoming leader he has, however, recognised that this is not the issue on which to pick a fight with the party. This has been to his credit and to Labour’s benefit. Now is not the time to change that approach. However much the Conservative party deserves censure for its Europe policy, and the EU merits criticism for its economic failings, from this week on, Europe is not a Tory cause but a national one. | Mr Corbyn is by instinct more Eurosceptic than his party. In this respect he is out of step not just with most Labour MPs, but also with most trade unions and most Labour voters. Since becoming leader he has, however, recognised that this is not the issue on which to pick a fight with the party. This has been to his credit and to Labour’s benefit. Now is not the time to change that approach. However much the Conservative party deserves censure for its Europe policy, and the EU merits criticism for its economic failings, from this week on, Europe is not a Tory cause but a national one. |
| 8.27am GMT | 8.27am GMT |
| 08:27 | 08:27 |
| Welcome to Politics live where we will be focusing on the build-up to Thursday’s crucial summit to reform Britain’s relationship with the EU. | Welcome to Politics live where we will be focusing on the build-up to Thursday’s crucial summit to reform Britain’s relationship with the EU. |
| David Cameron is facing fraught final stages to secure a European deal on the eve of summit. | David Cameron is facing fraught final stages to secure a European deal on the eve of summit. |
| The prime minister said he had “extra mile” to go to persuade eastern European leaders to agree to proposed reforms and is also battling to keep his party together as Eurosceptic ministers get ready to speak out. | The prime minister said he had “extra mile” to go to persuade eastern European leaders to agree to proposed reforms and is also battling to keep his party together as Eurosceptic ministers get ready to speak out. |
| Here’s a roundup of how things currently stand: | Here’s a roundup of how things currently stand: |