Eurosceptic MPs slam UK draft deal on EU

A draft deal aimed at keeping Britain in the European Union will be put to a summit of all 28 member states later this month.

urosceptic MPs slam UK draft deal on EUurosceptic MPs slam UK draft deal on EU

urosceptic MPs slam UK draft deal on EU Source: AAP

A draft deal aimed at keeping Britain in the European Union will be put to a summit of all 28 member states later this month.

The deal would allow Britain to keep its currency and limit migrants' access to benefits.

Greg Dyett has the details.

It's a deal the British Prime Minister David Cameron says is worth fighting for and satisfies all his key demands.

"Across all the areas, whether it is greater controls on welfare, no more something for nothing, whether it is hardwiring competitiveness into the EU, whether it is making sure the pound sterling is treated fairly inside the EU, all of those things have been addressed in a proper way in this document. And people said that wouldn't happen and it has and people will, I hope, after February 18 will be able to take into account not just that but take into account all of the arguments about Britain's future whether we're better off in a reformed European Union or outside it."

Britain is holding a referendum on whether it will remain in the EU sometime between now and the end of next year.

One of the reasons for the referendum is because of pressure from inside Mr Cameron's party due to a deep strain of what's been called Euroscepticism.

Among the sceptics is Conservative MP Liam Fox who says the draft deal only serves to strengthen the arguments in favour of Britain leaving the EU.

"The demands from the government were very limited to begin with and now they've been watered down by the EU on almost every front. We've spent months and months now with the prime minister going round Europe asking after European leaders if we in Britain can change our own benefit laws. I don't think it's clear now that the British public need to have control of their own laws, control of their own economy, control of their own borders and following this renegotiation it's now clear the only way to do that is to leave the EU."

Another Eurosceptic MP, Steve Baker, rubbished the draft deal.

"This in at all costs deal, looks funny, it smells funny, it might be superfically shiny on the outside but poke it and it's soft in the middle. Will my right honourable friend admit to the house that he has been reduced to polishing poo?"

The leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, is also opposed to Britain staying in the EU.

Mr Farage says the draft agreement doesn't amount to much at all.

"Pathetic really, quite amused to hear Mr Cameron saying that he would not vote to join the European Union on the basis of this document well I tell you what if the referendum was do we join an organization that leaves our parliament no longer supreme, I'm pretty certain I know which way the British public would vote."

David Cameron is travelling to Poland and Denmark on Friday to try to persuade the 27 other EU leaders to agree to the package at a summit later this month.

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, says it's too soon yet to say how they'll respond.

"As you know, it's still a lot of work ahead of us, the stakes are really high but we have to wait, it's still too early to say what will be there assessment of the rest of the member states."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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4 min read

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By Greg Dyett



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