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David Cameron speech: UK and the EU David Cameron speech: UK and the EU
(35 minutes later)
David Cameron is setting out a promise to hold an in/out referendum if the Conservatives win the next election in a long-awaited speech on the EU. David Cameron has said the British people must "have their say" on Europe as he pledged an in/out referendum if the Conservatives win the election.
The prime minister will say he wants to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU, before asking people to vote. The prime minister said he wanted to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU, before asking people to vote.
The British people can decide either to accept the result of the talks, or to leave the EU, Mr Cameron will say. The British people would face a "very simple choice" either to accept the result of the talks, or to leave the EU altogether, he said.
Labour's Ed Miliband said the speech showed the PM was "weak" and "driven by his party", not the national interest. Labour's Ed Miliband said PM was "weak" and being driven by "party interest".
The referendum is thought likely to take place during the early part of the next parliament - by the end of 2017 at the latest - if the Conservatives win the next general election. In a long-awaited speech, Mr Cameron pledged to hold a referendum during the early part of the next parliament - by the end of 2017 at the latest - if the Conservatives win the next general election.
The speech had been scheduled for last Friday in the Netherlands, but was postponed because of the Algerian hostage crisis. He said it would be a decision on the UK's "destiny" and, if he secured a new relationship he was happy with, he would campaign "heart and soul" to stay within the EU.
"It is time for the British people to have their say," he said. "It is time to settle this European question in British politics. I say to the British people: this will be your decision."
'Very simple choice''Very simple choice'
The Conservative leader has been under pressure from many of his MPs to give a binding commitment to a vote on Europe.The Conservative leader has been under pressure from many of his MPs to give a binding commitment to a vote on Europe.
Mr Cameron will say that "disillusionment" with the EU is "at an all time high" and "simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice" is likely to accelerate calls for the UK to leave. It has taken quite some time for the prime minister to go from promising a major speech on Europe to delivering it.
"That is why I am in favour of a referendum," he will say. "I believe in confronting this issue - shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away. But today marks the beginning of a process, not the end.
Setting out the conditions for a future referendum, he will say: "The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next parliament. The many Eurosceptics in his party will be pleased that he is offering an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the EU - although some will regard the timescale as tardy.
But there are important hurdles. He has to win the next election with an overall majority. His European partners will have to be willing to renegotiate Britain's relationship.
"And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in-out referendum. And while the promise of a referendum will unite many in his party this side of an election, the process of renegotiation might re-open divisions. What the PM didn't say today is what would he do if the negotiations deliver less than he would like.
But he will say that holding an in/out referendum now would be a "false choice" because Europe is set to change following the eurozone crisis. Would he still proceed with an in/out referendum? Would he still argue for a yes vote? Would others in his party who would be prepared to stay on the EU on the right terms defect to the No camp if they don't like the deal the PM strikes with Brussels?
"Now - while the EU is in flux, and when we don't know what the future holds and what sort of EU will emerge from this crisis is not the right time to make such a momentous decision about the future of our country. Labour and the Lib Dems say David Cameron is creating damaging uncertainty for business, but he has thrown down the gauntlet to them.
"It is wrong to ask people whether to stay or go before we have had a chance to put the relationship right." Can they allow him to be the only major part leader to offer voters a say on EU membership after the next election?
The speech, taking place in central London, will be watched closely by other European leaders, the business community and supporters and critics within his own party. Mr Cameron said "disillusionment" with the EU was "at an all time high" and "simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice" was likely to accelerate calls for the UK to leave.
Several Conservative MPs - who want a looser relationship with the EU focused around trade and who have been briefed about the speech - say they are "satisfied" with the thrust of what Mr Cameron is going to say. "That is why I am in favour of a referendum," he said. "I believe in confronting this issue - shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away."
But some europhile Conservatives, including Lord Heseltine, have warned that committing to a referendum at some point in the future on the outcome of an uncertain negotiating process is an "unnecessary gamble". Setting out the conditions for a future poll, he said: "The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next parliament.
"And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in-or-out choice to stay in the EU on these new terms; or come out altogether. It will be an in/out referendum."
But he said holding an in/out referendum now would be a "false choice" because Europe was set to change following the eurozone crisis and it would be "wrong to ask people whether to stay or go before we have had a chance to put the relationship right".
'One-way ticket'
Mr Cameron said he "understood the appeal" of Britain going it alone and said he was sure the UK would survive outside the EU. But, he said, the UK must think "very carefully" about the implications of withdrawal for its prosperity and role on the international stage.
"If we left the European Union, it would be a one-way ticket, not a return," he added.
The prime minister rejected suggestions that a new relationship was "impossible to achieve", adding that he would prefer all other EU countries to agree a new treaty but would be prepared to seek negotiations on a unilateral basis.
Several Conservative MPs - who want a looser relationship with the EU focused around trade and who were briefed about the speech - have said they are "satisfied" with the thrust of its contents.
But some europhile Conservatives, including Lord Heseltine, have warned that committing to a referendum at some point in the future on the outcome of an uncertain negotiating process was an "unnecessary gamble".
'Years of uncertainty''Years of uncertainty'
The former European commissioner and Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson, told BBC Radio 4's Today that it was "game, set and match to the hardliners in his party".
The Lib Dems say pursuing a wholesale renegotiation of the UK's membership will cause uncertainty and deter foreign investment while Labour claim Mr Cameron's approach is being driven by party calculations rather than the national interest.The Lib Dems say pursuing a wholesale renegotiation of the UK's membership will cause uncertainty and deter foreign investment while Labour claim Mr Cameron's approach is being driven by party calculations rather than the national interest.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the speech would define Mr Cameron "as a weak prime minister, being driven by his party, not by the national economic interest". Labour said the referendum pledge defined Mr Cameron "as a weak prime minister, being driven by his party, not by the national economic interest".
"In October 2011, he opposed committing to an in/out referendum because of the uncertainty it would create for the country," he said. "We understand the need for change but I don't honestly believe the best way to get change in a club of 27 is to stand at the exit door demanding change or threatening to leave," shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said.
"The only thing that has changed since then is he has lost control of his party and is too weak to do what is right for the country, The speech had been scheduled for last Friday in the Netherlands, but was postponed because of the Algerian hostage crisis.
"Everyone knows that the priority for Britain is the jobs and growth that we need. We have had warning after warning from British business about the dangers of creating years of uncertainty for Britain.
"Britain needs a prime minister who is making change happen now in Europe, ensuring that we put jobs and growth ahead of austerity and unemployment."
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