David Cameron begins his whistle-stop tour to meet European leaders, as he begins talks on the “substantive” changes he wants ahead of the UK’s referendum on EU membership.
Mr Cameron is due to hold talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte this afternoon before meeting President Hollande in Paris early this evening. Tomorrow he will meet Polish Prime Minister Kopacz in Warsaw for breakfast before meeting Chancellor Merkel in Berlin for lunch, and lengthy talks.
Mr Cameron has not set out in detail the reforms he is seeking, but they will include tougher rules to prevent migrants claiming both in-work and out-of-work benefits – something that will be resisted in Warsaw, in particular.
He is also seeking various opt-outs: to enable the City of London to bypass some EU banking regulatorly legislation, and an exemption for Britain from the EU drive for closer union.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the UK government has recieved legal advice saying changes to EU treaties would be needed to secure some of these reforms – something EU leaders have previously said was not on the cards. French newspaper Le Monde reported over the weekend that Mr Hollande and Ms Merkel have agreed between them that any reforms should be delivered under the EU’s current treaties.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he does not expect the government to win the referendum on Britain’s continued membership of the European Union unless there is “substantial” reform, though he said he remains optimistic on the prime minister’s chances of convincing his EU colleagues of the need for change. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:
“We are at the very beginning of a process here. We have a very clear set of requirements. […] We expect that some of our partners will adopt a hard line at the start of the negotiations – but we are confident that, over the course of the summer and perhaps onwards through the winter, we will be able to negoitate a substantial package of reform which will address the concerns that the British people have.”
The tour comes as the government introduced its mandated EU referendum bill into the House of Commons for its first reading. Unveiled yesterday in the Queen’s speech, the popular electoral pledge will be the first time the public has voted on EU membership since 1975.
The question voters will be asked in the ballot paper will be: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?” The wording means supporters of Britain keeping ties open will form the “yes” campaign – something Ukip leader Nigel Farage has already complained about.
The Conservatives’ previously-preferred wording – “Do you think that the United Kingdom should be a member of the European Union” – was dropped following concerns from the Electoral Commision that some people might think the country was not already a member.
Number 10 said: “The introduction of the EU referendum bill is a concrete step towards settling the debate about the UK’s membership of the EU. It will pave the way for the British people to have their say for the first time in 40 years on our place in the EU. And as the prime minister has said before, it will be an important choice about our country’s destiny.”
Labour‘s acting leader Harriet Harmon said her party would back the bill, while outgoing leader Nick Clegg called for Cameron to lead the bid for Britain to stay in the EU “with conviction”. The second reading of the EU referendum bill will take place on Tuesday 9 June.