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| David Cameron will deliver EU speech this week, says William Hague | David Cameron will deliver EU speech this week, says William Hague |
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| David Cameron will deliver his long-awaited speech on UK relations with the EU this week, the foreign secretary, William Hague, has said. | |
| The prime minister had been due to make the speech in the Netherlands on Friday but it was postponed owing to the Algerian hostage crisis. | |
| "It will happen this week," Hague told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. "We will make an announcement on when and where tomorrow." | |
| Cameron is expected to use the speech to warn that Britain could "drift towards the exit" unless there is change in Brussels. He has indicated that he will set out proposals to negotiate a new relationship with the EU which would then be put to a referendum after the next general election in 2015. | |
| The prime minister has made clear that he wants Britain to stay in the EU and opposes a straight in/out referendum. But critics have warned that any "no" vote could mean the UK would have to leave. | The prime minister has made clear that he wants Britain to stay in the EU and opposes a straight in/out referendum. But critics have warned that any "no" vote could mean the UK would have to leave. |
| The US ambassador to London, Louis Susman, on Sunday became the latest senior figure to make clear that the Obama administration wants Britain to remain in the EU. | The US ambassador to London, Louis Susman, on Sunday became the latest senior figure to make clear that the Obama administration wants Britain to remain in the EU. |
| "We believe in a strong EU. We cannot imagine a strong EU without a vibrant partner in the UK," he told Sky News's Murnaghan programme. "That is what we hope will come about but it is up to the British people to decide what they want." | "We believe in a strong EU. We cannot imagine a strong EU without a vibrant partner in the UK," he told Sky News's Murnaghan programme. "That is what we hope will come about but it is up to the British people to decide what they want." |
| Hague said there was a strong case for seeking "fresh consent" from the voters for Britain's relationship with Brussels. | Hague said there was a strong case for seeking "fresh consent" from the voters for Britain's relationship with Brussels. |
| "We want to succeed in the European Union – we want an outward-looking EU to succeed in the world, and for the United Kingdom to succeed in that," he said. | "We want to succeed in the European Union – we want an outward-looking EU to succeed in the world, and for the United Kingdom to succeed in that," he said. |
| "But we have to recognise that the European Union has changed a lot since the referendum of 1975 and that there have been not only great achievements to the EU's name but some things that have gone badly wrong, such as the euro." | "But we have to recognise that the European Union has changed a lot since the referendum of 1975 and that there have been not only great achievements to the EU's name but some things that have gone badly wrong, such as the euro." |
| Former defence secretary and Eurosceptic Liam Fox said he would prefer to have a renegotiated relationship with Europe. He told BBC1's Sunday Politics programme: "I think that for most British politicians on the right of the political spectrum, we would prefer to have the ideal solution of being able to have that type of renegotiated relationship from inside. | |
| "If we were put into a position where the British people didn't like any renegotiated solution and decided to be outside, there are a lot of countries who do exist outside the EU, it would have undoubtedly some difficulties for us, but I don't think they could not be overcome." | "If we were put into a position where the British people didn't like any renegotiated solution and decided to be outside, there are a lot of countries who do exist outside the EU, it would have undoubtedly some difficulties for us, but I don't think they could not be overcome." |
| He added: "I think ultimately an in/out referendum has to mean that – that if you vote for whatever the government is putting forward that is to remain in on that basis, and a no vote would be to leave." | |
| Fox said eventually there needed to be an in/out referendum, adding that if the one choice was going in the current direction with a greater and greater loss of British sovereignty, "my personal preference would be to leave". | |
| He said: "I don't want to have ever closer union, I don't want to be a European first and British second." | He said: "I don't want to have ever closer union, I don't want to be a European first and British second." |