Labour
leader rules out EU membership referendum, branding PM's Europe strategy
'incredibly dangerous'
guardian.co.uk,
Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent, Sunday 13 January 2013
Ed Miliband has ruled out a UK referendum on EU membership and branded No10's Europe strategy as 'incredibly dangerous'. Photograph: Yves Logghe/AP |
David Cameron is in danger of "sleepwalking" Britain towards the EU exit
door, Ed Miliband has said, warning that the prime minister is embarking on an
"incredibly dangerous" strategy on Europe.
As the
prime minister prepares to deliver a landmark speech on Europe later this
month, the Labour leader accused Cameron of embarking on a gamble by promising
to hold a referendum on renegotiated terms of British membership.
Miliband
told the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1: "I think it is incredibly dangerous
what David Cameron is doing. He is essentially sleepwalking us towards the exit
door from the EU."
Miliband
rejected out of hand a referendum on the terms likely to be proposed by the
prime minister as pro-Europeans intensified their opposition against the No 10
strategy. Lord Mandelson is to join forces with Kenneth Clarke to make the case
for whole-hearted British membership of the EU in a new group called Centre for
British Influence through Europe.
Lord
Heseltine, the former Tory deputy prime minister, warned in the Times on
Saturday that the prime minister is taking an "unncessary gamble".
Cameron is expected to say in a speech, due to take place on 22 January in the
Netherlands, that the Tory manifesto for the next election will include a
pledge to use a major treaty revision to underpin new eurozone governance
arrangements to repatriate powers to Britain. The new terms of British
membership would then be put to the British people in a referendum after the
next general election.
Miliband
was scathing about the prime minister's tactics. He said: "The last thing
we should do is start to say for some date five, six, seven years hence, let's
decide now to have an in/out referendum. As Michael Heseltine said very well
yesterday, that means you are having a referendum on a negotiation that has not
yet begun, with a timescale that is uncertain and an outcome that is unknown.
"That
is an incredible gamble. We know why this is happening. He is worried about the
threat from Ukip and he is worried about what is happening in his own party. It
is the wrong thing to do. It is not in the national interest."
Miliband
was asked by James Landale, who was standing in for Andrew Marr as he recovers
from a stroke, whether he would rule out a referendum. The Labour leader
replied that the coalition has changed the law to ensure that a referendum must
be held on any future transfer of powers from the UK to the EU.
But he
dismissed the prime minister's plans for a referendum on repatriating powers
passed to the EU in the past. "I am very clear. The question for now is
should we have a referendum, should we commit to a referendum, should we
promise one? I am saying very clearly no is the answer."
Miliband's
remarks come after an intense debate in the Labour party about how to respond
to the prime minister's speech. The leadership has decided not to rule out a
referendum in principle. But it has decided to reject the prime minister's
plans for a referendum on as-yet unidentified renegotiated terms of membership
on the grounds that this is designed to paper over cracks in the Conservative
party.
The
intervention by Miliband came amid signs that one of the central elements of
the prime minister's plan – a major revision of the Lisbon treaty to underpin
new governance arragements for the EU – may not happen. The Guardian reported
on Saturday that Angela Merkel, the German chancellor and the only major EU
leader calling for treaty revision, has abandoned such plans for the moment. This
may change after next year's German elections.
In his
interview, Miliband declined to say whether he would restore child benefit for
higher rate taxpayers and whether he would restore the 50p top rate of tax. He
has criticised the coalition for removing child benefit to higher rate
taxpayers and for cutting the top rate of tax to 45p.
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