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| Ken Clarke warns of 'folly' of putting Britain's EU membership at risk | Ken Clarke warns of 'folly' of putting Britain's EU membership at risk |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| A senior Conservative cabinet minister has issued a warning to leaders "of all political parties" that putting Britain's membership of the European Union at risk would be "complete folly" and that the "irresponsible" debate taking place is damaging the country's influence at the negotiating table. | A senior Conservative cabinet minister has issued a warning to leaders "of all political parties" that putting Britain's membership of the European Union at risk would be "complete folly" and that the "irresponsible" debate taking place is damaging the country's influence at the negotiating table. |
| Ken Clarke, a veteran Tory minister and Europhile, delivered the salvo as David Cameron faced pressure from another leading Tory demanding two referendums on Europe on the same day the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, prepared to give an address restating the pro-European case. | Ken Clarke, a veteran Tory minister and Europhile, delivered the salvo as David Cameron faced pressure from another leading Tory demanding two referendums on Europe on the same day the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, prepared to give an address restating the pro-European case. |
| The speeches by David Davis and Miliband will take place before Cameron's trip to Brussels this week for talks on the EU budget. The prime minister had vowed to negotiate a freeze in real terms, which would have been hard enough to achieve, but was put under more pressure last month after 53 hardline Eurosceptic backbenchers, backed by Labour, defied the prime minister and voted in favour of a cut in EU spending for the next seven-year budget round. | The speeches by David Davis and Miliband will take place before Cameron's trip to Brussels this week for talks on the EU budget. The prime minister had vowed to negotiate a freeze in real terms, which would have been hard enough to achieve, but was put under more pressure last month after 53 hardline Eurosceptic backbenchers, backed by Labour, defied the prime minister and voted in favour of a cut in EU spending for the next seven-year budget round. |
| Clarke, minister without porfolio, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, described Tory colleagues who rebelled over Cameron's budget stance as "extreme Eurosceptics" and said he was confident the prime minister would keep Britain in Europe despite pressure from his side to pull out. | Clarke, minister without porfolio, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, described Tory colleagues who rebelled over Cameron's budget stance as "extreme Eurosceptics" and said he was confident the prime minister would keep Britain in Europe despite pressure from his side to pull out. |
| "We are going through a very curious stage in the national debate. In the last 20 years the country gets near to having a nervous breakdown on the subject every now and again. David Cameron assures the public as he assures me that he believes, as I do, that Britain's place in the modern world has got to be in the European union. | "We are going through a very curious stage in the national debate. In the last 20 years the country gets near to having a nervous breakdown on the subject every now and again. David Cameron assures the public as he assures me that he believes, as I do, that Britain's place in the modern world has got to be in the European union. |
| "It would be a disaster for our influence in global political events, it would be a disaster for the British economy if we were to leave the European union. It damages our influence in these great critical events at the moment if we keep casting doubt on our continued membership." | "It would be a disaster for our influence in global political events, it would be a disaster for the British economy if we were to leave the European union. It damages our influence in these great critical events at the moment if we keep casting doubt on our continued membership." |
| Miliband will say in his speech that, under Cameron, Britain leaving the EU has become a realistic prospect for the first time in 30 years and pro-Europeans needed to argue their case "in a new way" to avert such a damaging outcome. | Miliband will say in his speech that, under Cameron, Britain leaving the EU has become a realistic prospect for the first time in 30 years and pro-Europeans needed to argue their case "in a new way" to avert such a damaging outcome. |
| But Clarke criticised Miliband for sending mixed signals. "I wish Ed would come down firmly on one side of the other," he said. "As long as he says that consistently, and he stops voting opportunistically with extreme Eurosceptics making … rather bizarre points on the prime minister's very tough position on the European budget … All the leaders of the political parties, everybody looks to the British future, the leaders of our business community, all realise that putting our membership of the European Union at risk is complete folly, and an irresponsible debate about it at the moment weakens Britain's role at a table where a lot of very important things have to be said." | But Clarke criticised Miliband for sending mixed signals. "I wish Ed would come down firmly on one side of the other," he said. "As long as he says that consistently, and he stops voting opportunistically with extreme Eurosceptics making … rather bizarre points on the prime minister's very tough position on the European budget … All the leaders of the political parties, everybody looks to the British future, the leaders of our business community, all realise that putting our membership of the European Union at risk is complete folly, and an irresponsible debate about it at the moment weakens Britain's role at a table where a lot of very important things have to be said." |
| Pressed on the signals that Cameron was sending, Clarke said the prime minister had taken a "very strong line" on the budget. He said calling for a seven-year freeze was "a good starting point" for negotiations. | Pressed on the signals that Cameron was sending, Clarke said the prime minister had taken a "very strong line" on the budget. He said calling for a seven-year freeze was "a good starting point" for negotiations. |
| "If you turn up saying 'we're not going to agree to anything come what may', which the hardline people would love him to say, all that happens is they'll take no notice of us. Then they have to proceed on an annual budget, and some of the ones who want to spend a lot of money will be absolutely delighted, because, so long as we use the veto, the can get on without sue and have an annual budget and they don't need to take any notice of the British. Fortunately there are plenty of other European member states who also think it's wrong to increase the budget." | "If you turn up saying 'we're not going to agree to anything come what may', which the hardline people would love him to say, all that happens is they'll take no notice of us. Then they have to proceed on an annual budget, and some of the ones who want to spend a lot of money will be absolutely delighted, because, so long as we use the veto, the can get on without sue and have an annual budget and they don't need to take any notice of the British. Fortunately there are plenty of other European member states who also think it's wrong to increase the budget." |
| He added: "What we're proposing, our position is, a freeze for seven years. That's much tougher than anything we've suggested so far for British public spending. And that's a good starting point. It gives us a position in negotiations." | He added: "What we're proposing, our position is, a freeze for seven years. That's much tougher than anything we've suggested so far for British public spending. And that's a good starting point. It gives us a position in negotiations." |
| Miliband is sensitive to the charge that voting for an EU budget cut meant Labour was abandoning Europeanism and, in a speech to the CBI, will seek to cast the European case in modern terms. | Miliband is sensitive to the charge that voting for an EU budget cut meant Labour was abandoning Europeanism and, in a speech to the CBI, will seek to cast the European case in modern terms. |
| He will claim Cameron's stance poses a grave danger to the UK. "For more than three decades, our membership of the EU has seemed to be a settled question. Not any more," the Labour leader will say. "Public scepticism about the EU has been on the rise for some time. Some cabinet ministers in this government now openly say we would be better off outside the EU. | He will claim Cameron's stance poses a grave danger to the UK. "For more than three decades, our membership of the EU has seemed to be a settled question. Not any more," the Labour leader will say. "Public scepticism about the EU has been on the rise for some time. Some cabinet ministers in this government now openly say we would be better off outside the EU. |
| "And many of our traditional allies in Europe clearly think Britain is heading to the exit door. Those of us, like me, who passionately believe that Britain is stronger in the EU cannot be silent in a situation like this. I will not allow our country to sleepwalk towards exit because it would be a betrayal of our national interest." | "And many of our traditional allies in Europe clearly think Britain is heading to the exit door. Those of us, like me, who passionately believe that Britain is stronger in the EU cannot be silent in a situation like this. I will not allow our country to sleepwalk towards exit because it would be a betrayal of our national interest." |
| Miliband will say the EU needs reform, particularly because its budget "often seems to match the priorities of the 1950s, not the 21st century". He will say that pro-Europeans too often "turned a blind eye" to the EU's failings and that Britain needs to build alliances to achieve reform. | Miliband will say the EU needs reform, particularly because its budget "often seems to match the priorities of the 1950s, not the 21st century". He will say that pro-Europeans too often "turned a blind eye" to the EU's failings and that Britain needs to build alliances to achieve reform. |
| In his speech on Monday at a ConservativeHome event, Davis, a former Europe minister and a leading Eurosceptic on the Tory benches, will call for a double referendum: a mandate referendum that would allow the British public to vote on what powers the government should seek to get repatriated from Brussels, followed by another referendum at the end of the negotiating process that would allow people to vote to leave the EU if they were unhappy with the outcome. | In his speech on Monday at a ConservativeHome event, Davis, a former Europe minister and a leading Eurosceptic on the Tory benches, will call for a double referendum: a mandate referendum that would allow the British public to vote on what powers the government should seek to get repatriated from Brussels, followed by another referendum at the end of the negotiating process that would allow people to vote to leave the EU if they were unhappy with the outcome. |
| Interviewed on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Davis said a mandate referendum would give the government "a huge negotiating lever" in talks with Brussels. He said he would like it to take place before the 2014 European elections and did not deny one aim was to diminish the threat to the Tories posed by Ukip. | Interviewed on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Davis said a mandate referendum would give the government "a huge negotiating lever" in talks with Brussels. He said he would like it to take place before the 2014 European elections and did not deny one aim was to diminish the threat to the Tories posed by Ukip. |
| Leaving the EU was "not a frightening option", he added. | Leaving the EU was "not a frightening option", he added. |
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