Cameron backs his ‘EU deal’

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron is defending his ‘EU deal’ at Prime Minister’s Question Time today – but is facing a backlash from eurosceptics who accuse him of watering down his demands.

Mr Cameron has declared himself satisfied with deal promises from the EU council president which he says offer ‘substantial reforms’.

He says he has won “something worth fighting for” and that if the deal is not substantially changed as negotiations continue in the run-up to a summit on February 18-19 the government will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU. He has however said individual ministers will be free to campaign against membership if they wish.

The prime minister is understood to favour a referendum on June 23 if all goes to plan and a deal is finalised with the other EU members this month. He has said that what is on the table is good enough that if the UK was not an EU member, he would wish to sign up to the EU under such terms.

It would give the UK the "best of both worlds", he said, by allowing it to be a "proud independent country not part of a superstate" but maintaining access to the single market and a voice around the top EU table.

Mr Cameron has received backing from key figures including the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, and Home Secretary Theresa May, despite backlash from eurosceptics and much of the popular press.

Mr Hammond said “significant movement has taken place” and what is offered is “the architecture for a deal to be done”. Mrs May also called it “the basis for a deal”.

According to the letter of the Referendum Bill, there should be a campaign period of at least 10 weeks before the referendum by which point at the latest there should be a report setting out what has been agreed following the negotiations and the opinion of the British government on this.

The bill also says that by the same cut-off a report must be published with information about the rights and obligations that come from EU membership and examples of other countries that do not have EU membership but do have other arrangements; explaining how these work.

However Mr Cameron said in January he thought a campaign period of more than three months would be necessary. Assuming a deal is arrived at this month would allow for four months of campaigning until June.

The main elements for the ‘deal’ offered by EU council president Donald Tusk include:

• Britain to be explicitly excluded from the principle that the EU countries seek ‘ever closer union’ and recognition that within the EU states may wish to integrate further at different speeds and to differing degrees

• A "red-card" mechanism, meaning that if 55% of national parliaments agree (eg. the UK and others that agree with it), they could block a commission proposal.

• An “emergency brake” on in-work benefits. States to be allowed to limit the access of EU workers newly entering a country’s job market to in-work benefits for four years from the start of employment in the case where this would be too much strain on the welfare system. The UK’s situation would justify implementing this without delay. The benefits would be banned at the start of the period but gradually phased in towards the end of it.

• If migrant workers send child benefit money back to other countries the level of the payments will be reduced compared to the cost of living in the country.

• Recognition that countries not using the euro do not have to take part in measures aimed at deepening economic and monetary union and a guarantee of ‘mutual respect’ between Euro Zone countries and other ones when decisions are made.

• A pledge that the EU will increase efforts towards enhancing competitiveness and strengthening the internal market, with a reduction in red tape.