Closing Summary
• David Cameron has called for his referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU to take place on 23 June, after the cabinet formally agreed to campaign to stay in despite several minister openly supporting Brexit.
Speaking from outside Downing Street, the prime minister said he had secured a good deal with Brussels to give the UK a special status and leaving the EU would “threaten our economic and national security”.
• Michael Gove has said that the European Union is encouraging extremism across Europe as he joined five other cabinet ministers in breaking ranks with David Cameron to campaign to take Britain out of the EU.
The justice secretary, one of the prime minister’s closest political friends, posed for for a photo with his cabinet colleagues at the headquarters of the Vote Leave campaign group shortly after a rare Saturday cabinet meeting.
• A marathon round of talks over two days, during which the prime minister managed just three hours of sleep in the early hours of Friday morning, led to an agreement for the UK shortly after 9pm on Friday.
In a lengthy statement, which will form the basis of his main message in the referendum, the prime minister said that he had strengthened his key demands since the European council president, Donald Tusk, outlined his draft agreement on 2 February.
• Angela Merkel has said that the UK’s European Union deal had demanded “a lot of willingness for compromise”, but that such compromises were easier to justify if they meant Britain was more likely to stay in the EU.
The question of “ever-closer union” had proved a particularly sensitive subject, the German chancellor said, because it was “an emotional issue” although one she is in favour of.
As the so called “gang of six” of Tory cabinet ministers backing a vote to leave the UK posed next to a signed banner saying: “Let’s take back control”, Boris Johnson has been keeping Downing Street waiting about which way he will jump in the referendum campaign.
The Guardian’s Nick Watt reports:
Amid some irritation in No 10, the London mayor is expected to wait until the prime minister outlines his plans to re-assert the sovereignty of parliament before announcing his plans. Johnson said last week that he would endorse one side in the referendum campaign with a “deafening éclat” soon after the prime minister reached a deal in Brussels.
The mayor appears to have been wrongfooted by the prime minister’s decision to confirm within an hour of his deal in Brussels on Friday night that Gove would be campaigning for Brexit. The move by Gove puts immense pressure on the London mayor to join the leave side. He had hoped that the prime minister’s new parliamentary sovereignty initiative would give him an option to campaign for remain.
Updated
Here’s a potentially interesting development in the race to become designated as the official campaign advocating for a vote for Britain to leave the European Union.
As UKIP's MP, I am so pleased to see so many Cabinet ministers joining the @vote_leave campaign of which I'm a part #CrossParty #Winning
— Douglas Carswell MP (@DouglasCarswell) February 20, 2016
Vote Leave has been competing with the rival group Leave.EU to be designated as the official Brexit campaign by the Electoral Commission.
Figures from the cross-party Grassroots Out campaign, UKIP and Leave.EU - but not including Vote Leave - have formed an umbrella group which will pitch to become the official campaign.
Crystal clear? Good.
Get ready to see a lot more of that tie. Describing the deal negotiated by David Cameron in Brussels as “pathetic,” UKIP leader Nigel Farage has issued a statement welcoming the decision to hold the referendum:
The 23rd is our golden opportunity, let battle be joined. Mr Cameron keeps on telling us that Britain would be better in a ‘reformed Europe’. But he fails to point out that there is no reformed European Union on offer here. The Prime Minister’s EU deal is pathetic.
We must look forward to work with everybody who cares about our future, a future where the people of Britain controls her own borders, where we can make our own trade deals and make our own laws.
We have the prospect of a free, secure prosperous and exciting future outside of the EU
Not quite as exciting, perhaps, as the announcement of PJ Harvey’s return to Glastonbury, but an important one nonetheless for anyone under the impression that they could cast their referendum vote at the festival:
It won’t be possible to have an #EUreferendum polling station at Glastonbury 2016. You can register for postal votes https://t.co/N6rF44BKVT
— Glastonbury Festival (@GlastoFest) February 20, 2016
Referendum timetable
So what can be expected over the next few months as that June 23 vote on EU membership approaches?
The Guardian’s Chris Johnston has put together a useful timetable. You can read it in full here, although below are some highlights:
Monday 22 February
The prime minister will address the House of Commons, which must formally approve the date for the referendum.
March/April
Secondary legislation that follows theEuropean Union Referendum Act 2015 will come before parliament to
Six weeks to go
In the run-up to the vote, there is a formal campaigning period during which rules on campaigning, spending and finances apply. The Electoral Commission will publish a timetable showing the dates and deadlines for the referendum
Thursday 5 May
Elections for devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be held, along with the vote to decide’s London mayor and for control of many councils in England.
Thursday 23 June
Millions of voters will cast ballots to answer the question: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”
July and beyond
If a majority vote to leave, the UK could do so two years after notifying the European Council of its intention. However, the process would not be simple and would still involve “complex and probably lengthy negotiations”, according to a parliamentary briefing paper (PDF).
Updated
Staying with Scotland for a moment, the Guardian’s Libby Brooks points out how there are a few Scottish #indyref cobwebs on some of the slogans being deployed by David Cameron at the outset of the European referendum.
Someone really needs to fix the random slogan generator...."stronger, safer & better off/together" is so Sept 2014 https://t.co/lV4WQxTg9m
— Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) February 20, 2016
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has pledged that the Scottish National Party will lead a “positive and upbeat” campaign to keep Scotland in the EU.
She said that the referendum has been driven by the Conservative Party’s longstanding internal divisions on Europe and the challenge to the party from UKIP, rather than by the specifics of David Cameron’s renegotiation. Sturgeon added:
We made it clear to the Prime Minister that we were opposed to a June 23rd referendum, given the overlap with our own Scottish election – but now that that date has been named we will get on with the job of campaigning for an ‘in’ vote.
It’s important that the campaign to remain in the EU learns the lessons of Scotland’s independence referendum, so that it does not lapse into scaremongering and fear – that is why the SNP will be a leading voice in the weeks and months ahead in making the positive case for Scotland and the rest of the UK remaining in Europe.
She was never a politician that could easily be caged in though..
A good round-up of initial reactions across the European press to the UK-EU agreement is also here, courtesy of Vincenzo Scarpetta, a policy analyst at Open Europe.
Le Figaro’s front page editorial, headlined: ‘The kiss of death’ jumps out:
If Britain remains in the EU on the conditions it has been offered, it kills it. If it leaves, it kills it too…As it is not combined with a project of collective relaunch, the Brussels compromise puts the worm into the fruit.
No-one has reason any longer to bend to the common rules, since one can escape them by means of a little blackmail.
In Italy, Adriana Cerretelli, Brussels correspondent for business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, doesn’t think the deal will change much at all though:
In the end, the agreement arrived – without winners or losers. A deal between opposed weaknesses, shared by both those who want more Europe and those who want less.
Perhaps it wasn’t worth wasting so much time changing something that would change almost nothing.
From Germany, the Guardian’s Philip Oltermann draws attention to quite a strong comment piece in the newspaper, Die Zeit, where Matthias Krupa offers a damning critique of David Cameron’s strategy:
He [Cameron] evoked the image of cumbersome Brussels bureaucracy because he is feeling the pressure at home. But this Brussels is yesterday’s cliche.
While Aleppo is being bombarded and hundreds of thousands are fleeing their homes, Cameron has forced the EU to spend months engaging with the minutiae of the British benefits system. [...]
The British prime minister isn’t the only one in the EU is questioning the union at the moment. But rarely has a national leader been so shameless in formulating and pursuing his national egotism as Cameron. If others follow his example, the union will not become stronger, but much weaker.
The odds are strongly in favour of a vote for Britain to stay in the EU - but could change dramatically should Boris Johnson come out on the side to leave, according to the bookmaker, William Hill.
Its Current odds are 2/7 for Britain to remain in the EU, and 5/2 to leave.
Of the three regions in the UK William Hill is currently offering bets on, the odds suggest England, at 9/4, is more likely than Wales, at 3/1, and Scotland, at 6/1, to vote to leave.
The social media war continues. Here’s a fresh tweet from David Cameron, framing his argument for a vote for Britain to remain in the UK, and linking to his statement earlier following this morning’s cabinet meeting:
On June 23rd, you will decide if Britain is stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU. My #EUref statement: https://t.co/sK9kAu567p
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) February 20, 2016
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, has been framing the negotiations as a success from his country’s point of view.
Dan Nolan reports on a press conference by Orban, who was a key negotiating partner for David Cameron over the past 12 months:
Orbán said “The success of the negotiations is underlined by the fact that Hungarian workers will continue to have access to benefits, free from discrimination. Thanks to the results achieved at the negotiations, they will continue to be eligible for everything that they have paid for to date.
The regulations on foreign workers have also remained unalterable. For those who have taken up employment in Britain and who have families, the negotiating parties have succeeded in ensuring that if their children live in another EU Member State they should be eligible for social benefits adjusted to the standard of living of the country of origin.
Families whose children live in the United Kingdom will be eligible to all the benefits that are available to children in British families. “We have done everything we could; the decision now lies with the British.
“The media hasn’t really evaluated it yet, as they have been so focussed on the immigration crisis until now,” according to Mariann Öry, a journalist at the pro-government Magyar Hírlap. She told the Guardian on Saturday afternoon that “I think yesterday evening the main question in all the newspapers was ‘what the hell should we write on the cover about the European conference?’”
Hungarian Socialist Party MEO István Újhelyi called the deal “humilating” for Viktor Orbán, who “has never really cared about those he interests of young people and families who have left Hungary for the UK. They are even constantly lying about the numbers,” he added.
Updated
There’s a view emerging in France that David Cameron came out on top during tussles in Brussels, reports Bruce Crumley, who has been looking at reactions for the Guardian
In his own post-agreement comments on Friday French President François Hollande argued that nothing granted to London compromised any EU founding principles.
“There were no exceptions (given) on single market rules, no revisions for treaties, there is no United Kingdom veto for the eurozone” Hollande declared, stressing Paris’ rejection of changes that could lead to The City gaining regulatory breaks or advantages that other European financial centres don’t enjoy,” he said.
Not everyone was buying that claim of firmness, however. In his coverage, Libération’s Brussels’s correspondent Jean Quatremer quoted politicians from EU states criticizing the deal, and warned “concessions envisaged by the 28 (members) to avoid Brexit risk creating a dangerous precedent.”
The story quoted Belgian Socialist Paul Magnette fretting the accord may mark “a potential unraveling” of the EU as other states similarly seek tailored rules. Magnette also spanked Hollande for caving in on fundamental issues he’d pledge to defend.
“(The EU) should have been firm and told London, ‘Political declarations, perhaps, but no engagements that risk reversing European integration. Certainly not’,” Magnette said.
Libération also quoted French centrist European MP Dominique Riquet complaining “the spectacle created by (threatened) Brexit is pathetic… It’s simple after all: if Great Britain doesn’t want to be in, then it’s out!”
That latter view jibed with the majority of reader responses to coverage of the agreement – along with the prevailing sentiment that Cameron got the better of Hollande and other EU leaders. Bernard Monot, an EMP from anti-EU National Front agreed, told le Figaro that based on Cameron’s deal, “Frexit will be pasted from the Brexit model, and we’ll demand the same concessions as the United Kingdom.”
So we’ve got the June 23 date for the referendum confirmed. But what’s it going to face in terms of competion?
Well, for starters, there’s Glastonbury, which takes place on June 22-26. Make sure you arrange a postal vote as well as putting aside a pair of wellies.
Middle class problems - people complaining about the #EUreferendum clashing with Glastonbury
— Gill (@Monitorabbit) February 20, 2016
Plus it’s slap bang in the middle of the European Championships, which last from June 10 to July 10.
Whether England or Wales will still be competing that that time is another matter (cough)..
The EU referendum campaigns have big June opportunity with voters who find football boring! May struggle for attention until late with fans
— Sunder Katwala (@sundersays) February 20, 2016
Amazing how many Arsenal supporters like me have been forced to miss the Hull match by need to make sense of Government's European policy
— Robert Peston (@Peston) February 20, 2016
It’s doubtful that the reforms reached in Brussels by David Cameron will significantly bring down migration from the rest of the EU, according to the influential think tank, the Institute For Public Policy Research, which has released an analysis.
IPPR Research Fellow, Marley Morris, adds however:
Our research suggests that the public care about the issue of benefits in principle, because they see the current rules as unfair on Britain, and so the changes are an important part of the final deal.
On the other hand, when discussing the draft deal with some of our research participants in Peterborough, they were unimpressed with the details of the emergency brake - particularly when they discovered that its use had to be authorised by other member states.
The question now is whether, in the public’s mind, these changes will be perceived as a credible effort to address concerns or as too complicated and insubstantial to fully convince.
Can David Cameron remain as leader and prime minister if the UK votes to leave the EU?
“Yes he can stay, and he must,” Chris Grayling told BBC Radio 4.
That would put Cameron in the position of having to be at the forefront of renegotiating Britain’s new position outside of Euope, something which he has described as a leap in the dark. Cameron is expected by many commentators to fall on his sword in the even of a vote to leave.
Grayling said earlier that it wasn’t a question of not trusting the prime minister’s judgement, insisting that the Conservative Party would not be divided over the coming months.
“We are friends and colleagues. We are not going to allow this to rip the Conservative party apart,” he added.
Here’s a little more of what he said to Mark Mardell on the BBC’s World At One:
Chris Grayling says David Cameron had moved mountains but that there is only “so much change” that the EU is willing to countenance.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 in the last few minutes, the leader of the House of Commons, said that the UK would be bit “part players” if it continued to remain in the EU.
“There are whole series of key decisions which I think we need to be take in our national interest, and which we have given to the EU,” he added.
He said that he had known for a long time that he would campaign against remaining in the EU, having sat through five years of “frustrating” meetings in Brussels.
He instanced new pieces of legislation that he said added extra levels of bureaucracy, health and welfare costs.
Updated
Does Michael Gove really add the intellectual heft to the ‘Leave’ side? John McTernan, a former adviser to the Blair government, is among those who think so:
A very fine statement from a formidable politician. At last a real argument that demands a compelling answer. https://t.co/We0puzUP77
— John McTernan (@johnmcternan) February 20, 2016
You can read Michael Gove’s statement in full here by the way
Chris Grayling, the Leader of the House of Commons, has also been outlining his rationale for backing a vote to leave the EU.
Grayling tells me the PM has only got 'concessions' not fundamental change to our relationship with the EU
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 20, 2016
Grayling tells me the PM has only got 'concessions' not fundamental change to our relationship with the EU
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 20, 2016
Glaringly at odds with the insistence of David Cameron (and notably, Theresa May) that Britain’s security considerations are better served by remaining in the EU, Gove says in his 1,574-word statement:
Far from providing security in an uncertain world, the EU’s policies have become a source of instability and insecurity.
Razor wire once more criss-crosses the continent, historic tensions between nations such as Greece and Germany have resurfaced in ugly ways and the EU is proving incapable of dealing with the current crises in Libya and Syria.
He goes on to say that even though the UK is outside of the euro, it is still subject to an “unelected EU Commission which is generating new laws every day and an unaccountable European Court in Luxembourg which is extending its reach every week”.
After going on to insist that the UK can “take back billions” it gives to the EU and forge new trade deals and partnerships with nations across the globe, he concludes the lengthy statement by saying:
This chance may never come again in our lifetimes, which is why I will be true to my principles and take the opportunity this referendum provides to leave an EU mired in the past and embrace a better future.
Updated
Gove statement on why he is backing Vote Leave
The Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, has released a statement explaining why he will be backing a vote for the UK to leave the EU.
His starting point is simple, he says:
I believe that the decisions which govern all our lives, the laws we must all obey and the taxes we must all pay should be decided by people we choose and who we can throw out if we want change.
If power is to be used wisely, if we are to avoid corruption and complacency in high office, then the public must have the right to change laws and Governments at election time.
But our membership of the European Union prevents us being able to change huge swathes of law and stops us being able to choose who makes critical decisions which affect all our lives. Laws which govern citizens in this country are decided by politicians from other nations who we never elected and can’t throw out.
The Gang of Six? Let the bidding begin for the title of the Cabinet members on the ‘Leave side’.
Cabinet gang of 6. @vote_leave: The safe option is to #VoteLeave pic.twitter.com/JRrvVVCCdx”
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 20, 2016
Or how about the “The Secessionist Six” ? (Copyright Tim Montgomergie)
That’s a total of six cabinet members at the Vote Leave headquarters : Michael Gove, Priti Patel, John Whittingdale, Chris Grayling, Iain Duncan Smith and Theresa Villiers.
It’s a pretty extraordinary photo, vividly illustrating that there will be a split in the cabinet until June 23.
It’s an image that’s not without its problems however, noted by the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush :
Surprising lack of thought in this photo. Glasses outnumber minorities and women. Grayling doing an O face. pic.twitter.com/QPbJkIN9Ij
— Stephen Bush (@stephenkb) February 20, 2016
Gove and other ministers arrive at Vote Leave HQ
Michael Gove has arrived, with three other cabinet ministers, at the headquarters of the Vote Leave campaign, which tweets this picture:
#voteleavetakecontrol pic.twitter.com/MgPp1bQDF0
— Vote Leave (@vote_leave) February 20, 2016
Updated
International development secretary, Justine Greening, will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU (as expected), “on the basis of safeguarding British jobs and influence.”
Greening will campaign for IN. #BREXIT pic.twitter.com/6oijVoFB8R
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) February 20, 2016
Updated
Another minister for the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign: John Whittingdale, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
So John Whittingdale is, as expected, for @Vote_Leave despite rumours otherwise https://t.co/1jmUVIE55b
— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) February 20, 2016
Andrea Leadsom, Minister of State for Energy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, confirmed she will vote to leave the EU.
Link to @andrealeadsom letter https://t.co/jXFeiLUpMO
— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) February 20, 2016
If the UK chose to remain in the EU, Leadsom said that it would increasingly go from being a “senior partner” to a country whose views “count for little in Brussels and yet whose parliament is increasingly subservient to EU legislation.”
Updated
Details of the ‘inners’ and ‘outers’ from the cabinet are filtering out now, putting to rest some doubts.
Those backing an “In” include Sajid Javid, Business Secretary, and Jeremy Wright, Attorney General.
Confirmation @sajidjavid will campaign to remain in EU but will say no more now
— Nicholas Watt (@nicholaswatt) February 20, 2016
Updated
Cameron: Referendum will take place on June 23
Cameron confirms - as expected - that the referendum will take place on June 23.
The prime minister said that the question will be about whether the UK “will be safer stronger and better off working in a reformed Europe or out on our own.”
As expected, it was an address that was heavy on warnings of the risks to leaving the EU. Britain would be better able to fight crime and terrorism by remaining in the EU.
Updated
David Cameron is now speaking outside of Downing Street, beginning by announcing the cabinet’s decision to back his deal, and saying that he wants to “speak directly to the British people.”
“We are approaching one of the biggest decisions we will face in our lifetime - whether we want to remain in the European Union or leave,” he says, adding that it is about jobs, financial security and how we cooperate to keep our country strong.
My responsibility is to speak plainly about what I believe is right about our country, says Cameron.
Echoing a line he has used more than a few times in the past few months, he adds: “I do not love Brussels. I love Britain. I am the first to say that there are many ways for Europe to improve.”
David Cameron has tweeted:
The Cabinet has agreed to recommend that the UK remains in a reformed European Union. I will be making a referendum announcement shortly.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) February 20, 2016
Other than their opposition to the EU, those backing a Brexit are most obviously united by their unpopularity, according to the New Statesman’s New Statesman, George Eaton, who has written an interesting piece on the ‘Out’ campaign.
George Galloway, Nigel Farage, Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith are all “15 per cent, not 50 per cent politicians,” he adds.
He added:
There is just one figure left who could notably improve the Out campaign’s standing: Boris Johnson. Polls have consistently shown the Mayor of London to be the country’s most popular politician (a status that reflects his lack of responsibility, some Tory MPs grumble).
An Ipsos MORI survey this week found that only Cameron would have a bigger influence over how the public voted. There is no politician that the In campaign fears more.
He can reach parts of the electorate that other Tories can’t, boasting the invaluable talent of making voters feel good about themselves.
Cameron prepares to make N10 statement
A podium has appeared outside 10 Downing Street. David Cameron is expected to come out within minutes.
Cameron expected shortly
— Ben Quinn (@BenQuinn75) February 20, 2016
.. & no, he hasn't been replaced by an Indie rock musician
Liveblog https://t.co/CUVClY4zVj pic.twitter.com/UvcZdXfUFe
Updated
National newspaper reaction in the UK to David Cameron’s European Union deal was largely viewed through the prism of Michael Gove’s decision to out himself as an outer, according to Roy Greenslade.
Pro- or anti-EU? The Guardian’s Rowena Mason has filed a handy guide to what we know so far about the stance of those within the cabinet.
It includes three figures whose stance remains unclear:
Robert Halfon, Conservative deputy chairman
Halfon is a staunch Eurosceptic, telling Buzzfeed last year: “Yes, I would vote to leave but I genuinely want to see what Cameron does.” Since then, he has had a rapid rise under the sponsorship of Osborne, so it is possible he could be persuaded to back the remainers.
Jeremy Wright, attorney general
The government’s most senior lawyer is said to be torn about which side to support.
Boris Johnson
The London mayor is not a minister but he sits in Cameron’s political cabinet. He is thought to be an instinctive in-campaigner, but has flirted heavily with Euroscepticism in recent months and could make the leap to lead the out camp if he thought it had a chance of winning. To lead a victorious leave campaign would bolster his prime ministerial ambitions.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has been talking about the approach he will take to the referendum, insisting that there has not been a “change of heart” by him on the issue of the European Union.
Asked how he voted in the 1975 referendum on Britain’s membership of what was then called the European Economic Community, Corbyn said that he had voted against the UK’s continued membership, but told Sky News in the last few minutes:
Things have obviously changed particularly in the sense of the economic direction in this country and the number of jobs that are dependent on Europe. If Britain was not part of the EU there could be enormous difficulties.
Asked if it was important that the EU existed as a unit in the first place, he responded:
I think the EU is a strong economic unit and it is important that it is a strong economic unit but it has to deliver for all.
David Cameron and others in the EU, he said, were pursuing an “austerity agenda”. Labour was opposed to this and wanted to work with others in the EU for change.
In relation to the referendum, he added
There is not going to be a joint campaign . There is going to be a Labour campaign asking people to vote in the direction I have indicated.
Asked what the approach would be towards members of the party who disagreed with his position on Europe and the upcoming referendum, he replied.
Every member of parliament and the shadow cabinet will make up their minds. There won’t be any sanctions against people who take a different point of view.
So far, notable Labour MPs who will be campaigning for Britain to leave the EU include Kate Hoey and Frank Field.
Doubts still remain about Corbyn’s enthusiasm too however:
Listening to Corbyn talk to @adamboultonSKY. Lab leader does not sound convincing at all about merits of EU, sounds like reluctant passenger
— Matthew Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) February 20, 2016
Updated
From Spain, Stephen Burgen reports that the Spanish media has yet to get too worked up about last night’s deal, although here’s a line from Eliseo Oliveras in El Periódico:
The concession to British blackmail consolidates the EU’s double standards: a generous accommodation of the demands of the powerful countries (Great Britain, Germany, France) and the implacable imposition of diktats on the weak (Greece and Spain).
The veteran Tory eurosceptic MP, Bill Cash, has been attacking the deal this morning, describing it as a “spin operation on very flimsy and insubstantial grounds.”
The bottom line is that it’s not legally binding and irreversible. There is no reference to irreversibility and that matters
When the British voter goes to the polls on the basis of this package they will want to have a guarantee that what has actually been negotiated will actually happen - and the answer is no, there is none.
It’s “the emperor with hardly any clothes on,” he added.
Some reaction from Poland now. That country’s Europe minister, Konrad Szymański, told Polish journalists in Brussels overnight that the deal reached in Brussels will consolidate his country’s links with Britain as an ally against French, German and Euro zone dominace of the EU.
He said:
The presence of Great Britain in the EU has a huge meaning because of the political balance Poland brings into the EU. This is particularly important for central Europe because there is a shared sensitivity concerning both transatlantic relations and the common market.
Alex Duval Smith reports for the Guardian:
Poland’s current foreign policy priority - which has topped the agenda in the government’s talks with Cameron ahead of the EU deal - is to secure a permanent Nato troop presence on its territory.
The position is supported by the broader so-called Visegrad group, including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, and by the Baltic States.
But historic agreements prevent Nato from creating bases in countries of the former Eastern bloc. The current solution, which Britain has signalled it will support, is a calendar of rolling troop exercises in central Europe - with a focus on Poland - that would, de facto, ensure there are always alliance troops in Poland.
The Polish prime minister,Beata Szydło, welcomed the deal. She told Polish journalists in Brussels overnight: “There is an agreement and it has not been reached at any price. This was our starting point.
When we went to Brussels we had the goal of defending the rights of Polish workers and citizens living and working in Great Britain. I can say with satisfaction that after difficult negotiations we have succeeded in realising out goals.”
The issue of benefit payments collected by Poles working in Britain and sent home as part of remittance payments has receded in recent years, amid evidence that Polish emigration to the rest of the EU is in decline due to improved economic opportunities in Poland.
The Guardian’s Berlin Bureau Chief, Phillip Oltermann, reports on reaction in Germany to Friday night’s deal.
According to German weekly Spiegel, what looked like a staged drama came close to being a real tragedy: “It was the Cameron show we expected. With numerous crises facing the EU at the moment, it was in no one’s interest that the Brits leave the union and weaken it further.
Therefore many observers expected EU leaders to put in a little drama even if an agreement was as good as certain, so that Cameron could present himself as the winner. Only then, the calculation went, he could sell the deal to his people as a roaring success.”
But when Greek PM Alexis Tsipras threatened his veto, however, it became clear: “this is no longer a show. The unity of the EU really was hanging in the balance.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung doesn’t believe that Britain opting out of “ever closer union” has anything but symbolic value: “Sober realpolitician Merkel knows of course that neither the stated goal of the treaty or its newly agreed interpretation have any legal significance”. In the light of this, the paper’s Brussels correspondent wrote, it was nonsense to pretend the deal implied the kind of “thorough reform of the EU” that Cameron had originally proposed.
In tabloid Bild, commentator Nikolaus Blome is pleased to both Brits and EU leaders finally came to their senses: “Luckily, both the EU commission and other leaders eventually realised that while the Brits would damage themselves with a Brexit, the EU would practically be destroyed with it. That’s a change from a year ago, when the impression was that the Brits were “only” threatening us with their own suicide”.
Updated
Here’s a round-up of political reaction from MPs, world leaders and others to the deal reached in Brussels.
Corbyn: Cameron deal is a "sideshow"
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has described the deal which David Cameron negotiated in Brussels as a “sideshow”, but reiterated that Labour would be campaigning to keep Britain in the European Union.
Here’s a statement issued by his office
Despite the fanfare, the deal that David Cameron has made in Brussels on Britain’s relationship with the EU is a sideshow, and the changes he has negotiated are largely irrelevant to the problems most British people face and the decision we must now make.
His priorities in these negotiations have been to appease his opponents in the Conservative Party. He has done nothing to promote secure jobs, protect our steel industry, or stop the spread of low pay and the undercutting of wages in Britain. Labour’s priorities for reform in the EU would be different, and David Cameron’s deal is a missed opportunity to make the real changes we need.
We will be campaigning to keep Britain in Europe in the coming referendum, regardless of David Cameron’s tinkering, because it brings investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers.
Labour believes the EU is a vital framework for European trade and cooperation in the 21st century, and that a vote to remain in Europe is in the best interests of our people.
Updated
Sajid Javid, another member of the cabinet who some commentators had thought was on the fence, will also back the campaign for the UK to remain in the UK, according to The Spectator.
James Forsyth writes:
Those familiar with the Business Secretary’s thinking say that what has swung Javid to IN is his sense that it is just too risky for Britain to leave right now given the parlous state of the global economy.
I suspect that he will be deployed by the IN campaign to try and persuade those crucial swing voters who are attracted to the idea of getting Out of the EU but are worried about the risks in doing so.
Tim Shipman, Political Editor at the Sunday Times, tweets his thoughts on that:
In leadership terms Javid going in may be more significant for Boris than Gove going out.
— Tim Shipman (@ShippersUnbound) February 20, 2016
Updated
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Vote Leave campaign deals with Theresa May’s emphasis on security as convincing argument for why she is supporting a vote to remain in the EU.
What a difference four months makes however. Back in November, UKIP leader Nigel Farage was saying that he would be delighted if the Home Secretary wanted to lead the official campaign for Britain to leave the European Union.
Here’s Theresa May’s statement on why she is backing David Cameron’s deal and will be campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU:
It means we keep control of our right to decide which criminal justice measures we participate in. It strengthens our ability to deport dangerous foreign criminals.
And while European countries must work together to tackle terrorism, it makes clear that our national security is ultimately our responsibility, not Europe’s.
The EU is far from perfect, and no one should be in any doubt that this deal must be part of an ongoing process of change and reform – crucial if it is to succeed in a changing world.
But in my view - for reasons of security, protection against crime and terrorism, trade with Europe, and access to markets around the world - it is in the national interest to remain a member of the European Union.
Updated
Theresa May to campaign for UK to stay in EU
Home Secretary Theresa May is to campaign to remain in the EU.
It’s a potentially key development as, at one point last year, she was thought to be a possible leader of the ‘Leave’ campaign.
Michael Gove has arrived at Downing Street, but told reporters as he left his home earlier that would be making a statement after the cabinet meeting today.
Senior figures in the out campaign, and others, believe there are as many as five cabinet ministers ready to swing behind their drive to exit the EU.
These had been thought likely to include be Chris Grayling, Iain Duncan Smith, Priti Patel, Theresa Villiers and John Whittingdale.
However, the headlines today will focus on those currently regarded as ‘swingers’, such as Sajid Javid.
Updated
Here’s a wrap, from our team in Brussels and London, of events over the past 48 hours and that happens next.
David Cameron is expected to call his referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU after a meeting with cabinet ministers on Saturday morning, following days of negotiation with European leaders on the UK’s status in the organisation.
After securing a deal with 27 other EU leaders to change Britain’s relationship with Brussels, the prime minister is likely to name the date for an in/out vote as 23 June, allowing less than four months for campaigning.
The emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday morning will end collective responsibility that forces ministers to back Cameron’s negotiating strategy, meaning those who want to leave will soon be free to start making their cases for Brexit.
Here’s a recap of what David Cameron wanted to get in Brussels... and what he got:
The inclusion of Michael Gove in the ‘Leave’ campaign will give it some intellectual credibility, according to the SNP MP and former Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond.
He told the BBC in the last few minutes that Gove will give Brexiteers some weight, even if he wasn’t a populist or charismatic politician, and contrasted him with what he felt might be a negative impact from George Galloway.
Salmond was also eager to keep up pressure on David Cameron however, accusing him of obsessing, as a result of internal Tory divisions, over “minutiae” such as the question of benefits which EU migrants could draw in the UK.
What really mattered in the debate, he said, were issues like free trade and European peace and security, adding:
It will require a considerable gear change from the Prime Minister and it remains to be seen whether he is up for speaking about the big issues rather than concentrating on the marginal ones.
He also sounded a warning about pitfalls which might be in store for the ‘Stay in the EU’ campaign however, saying:
If both sides engaged in the negativity we have seen so far then I think there is a real danger that the ‘leave’ campaign will get some additional traction.
George Galloway’s suprise appearance at last night’s Grassroots Out rally in London, which caused a walkout by some of those in the crowd, continues to cause ripples in pro-Brexit circles.
However, here’s the Ukip MP Douglas Carswell -- not always a happy camper alongside others campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, and that’s perhaps an understatement -- borrowing from some 1994 Galloway comments to Saddam Hussein.
.@conorburns_mp yay! Conor declares for @vote_leave - you are a hero, and I salute your courage and indefatigability
— Douglas Carswell MP (@DouglasCarswell) February 20, 2016
The Conservative MP he’s corresponding with, Conor Burns, tweeted last night:
There are honourable, principled and positive reasons to want to leave the EU. George Galloway represents absolutely none of them.
— Conor Burns (@conorburns_mp) February 19, 2016
Updated
Oliver Letwin, who was a noted eurosceptic in the past but is now a key player behind Cameron’s strategy, has told Sky News that he will be voting for the UK to remain in the EU.
Hardly a shock, but worth noting (and it least shows that sometimes reporters get an answer to a shouted question in the street).
Updated
The cabinet meeting has been set for 10am. One particular figure of interest is the Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, who is expected to come out afterwards as a supporter of a vote for the UK to leave the EU
Speaking in Brussels on Friday night, David Cameron sought to make light of Gove’s imminent decision to campaign to leave the European Union, saying he is “disappointed but ... not surprised”.
During a press conference after striking a deal at the Brussels summit, Cameron said:
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
“So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future. I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg tweets:
Fwiw I'm told Gove decided to choose Out more than 2 wks ago, and told PM at that point, altho yday, no 10 says he still hadn't told him
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) February 20, 2016
There are slightly more cameras than usual at Downing Street than other Saturday mornings.
Press wait at Downing Street for the first cabinet meeting on a Saturday since the Falklands War @RTUKnews @Ruptly pic.twitter.com/6ENTidPkfA
— Jon Scammell (@JonScammell) February 20, 2016
Ministers have been arriving at Downing Street for what will be the first cabinet meeting to be held on a Saturday since the Falklands War.
Osborne is already there, as are a number of others, for what will effectively be the starting gun in the campaign for the Prime Minister’s referendu.
We’ll hear a little later what date has been set for the EU referendum - although even the dogs in the street will tell you that the most likely one is June 23.
George Osborne was also challenged to convince Boris Johnson - who has yet to announce publicly on which side of the EU referendum he will come down on.
He didn’t sound entirely optimistic that Johnson was going to line up beside him and David Cameron though.
Boris will make his own decision. The great thing is that Boris and I each have one vote and there are millions of people listening who can make their own decisions and they have an equal vote too.
Osborne came under pressure to reject suggestions that the deal’s restrictions on benefits for the families EU migrants in Britain was based on a “straw man” - specifically on the basis of HMRC figures showing that only 16 percent of migrants who arrived between 2010 and 2014 claimed tax credits.
Have a listen to John Humphreys tackling Osborn on that:
Osborne’s interview gave clear signals of how the government intends to pursue the campaign. There was a lot of emphasis on the word “special status” while the words “security” and “risk” as well as the phrase “leap in the dark” were also used.
Under pressured to defend the deal, he added that “of course it has its faults and can be improved” but he asked of Britain’s place in the EU:
Do we leave… do we go for that leap in the dark, with all the risk to our national security… that is the question which everyone is listening, will have to make.
George Osborne: Cameron has achieved a "great deal"
The Chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, has been trumpeting the package which David Cameron has brought back from Brussels.
Speaking in the last 20 minutes on BBC Radio 4, Osborne came under intense pressure to justify how the deal is as radical as David Cameron had been hoping for. Osborne said:
It’s a change to the fundamental treaties which underline the European Union which says that Britain is no longer part of ever closer European Union.
For as long as I can remember, Britain has been a reluctant partner [in the EU and its predecessors] partly because we have been committed to this ever close union and we have always been uncomfortable with that
Successive prime ministers have always kept us out of things like the Euro… But what David Cameron has achieved and what no Prime Minister has achieved , is that Britain is no longer committed to that ever closer integration, a European super state [John Humphrys splutters]
We are not part of it now and I think that is a fundamentally more comfortable position that the UK is in this morning.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now. You can follow me on Twitter at @BenQuinn75
Updated
Reaction is continuing from political figures across Europe. Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn said the renegotiation was purely designed to deal with Conservative dissent, but welcomed elements of the deal and said Labour stood solidly behind continued EU membership.
Mr Cameron “has done what he decided he had to do because he was too weak to stand up to his political party”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today - saying the “red card” and protections for non-euro countries had been Labour demands.
He said only a very small number of Opposition MPs would campaign for “Leave”.
He added: “The vast majority of Labour MPs, the Labour movement, the Labour Party conference, the trade union movement, supports our continued membership.
“Why? Because being in the EU has given us jobs, investment, growth. It gives us security and it gives us influence in the world. Why would we want to exchange all of that for a leap into the unknown?”
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has pledged that her Government will be at the forefront of making the argument for keeping Scotland in the European Union.
The First Minister said it is more important than ever that those who support Scotland’s membership speak out, following David Cameron’s reform deal struck after marathon talks in Brussels.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The conclusion of an agreement at the European Council means the focus can now shift to the bigger and much more important matter of why our continued European Union membership is overwhelmingly in Scotland and the UK’s best interests.
“For more than 40 years, individuals, businesses and communities across Scotland have experienced the many social, economic and cultural benefits of EU membership.”
A round-up of views from the media today shows, as you might well have anticipated, that opinion is very much divided on the scale/nature/existence of Cameron’s achievement in Brussels.
The Guardian
The don’t-knows are likely to care a lot about the outcome that was confirmed on Friday and are right to do so. Their verdict will move votes one way or another. The fact that Mr Cameron, one of the few politicians with positive ratings, is recommending it may weigh with them too …
Mr Cameron did not need to take the route he has taken on Europe in the first place. The whole renegotiation was a gambling of Britain’s place in Europe in the case of Tory party management.
But, having embarked on it, he has delivered a package that those who have not made up their minds should take very seriously indeed.
The Times
[David Cameron] wants, he says, a “live-and-let-live” Europe. This at least captures the essence of a Europe in which Britain could be socially comfortable and an engine of prosperity without chafing under unsolicited red tape and undemocratic laws.
A live-and-let-live Europe is what Mr Cameron promised along with a referendum. His problem, and Britain’s, is that he has not delivered it.
He has hitched himself instead to a Europe whose eastern members remain determined to keep access to the British labour market on favourable terms, and in which France resents the dominance of the City and wants to cut it down to size.
The Telegraph
The EU is arcane and sclerotic – and the events of the past few days have proved it. It cannot adapt to suit changing circumstances or to meet the demands of political crises. Now the British voters have their chance to pass a verdict not only on this deal but the entire European project.
Hopefully the pro-EU and Brexit activists will rise to the occasion, offering a campaign rooted in facts and reason rather than fear mongering. Britain has an opportunity, finally, to take its destiny into its own hands.
Whatever people might think of the strengths and weaknesses of this deal, Mr Cameron deserves credit for giving us that much.
The Daily Mail
One thing is clear. Nothing agreed in Brussels will tempt a single voter to cross from the Out to the In camp (though it may swing some people the other way).
Nor will these renegotiations begin to serve the cynical purpose for which Mr Cameron embarked on them. For far from healing the Tory Party’s age-old rift over Europe, it promises only to increase the bitterness.
Indeed, the prime minister comes out of this sorry saga badly wounded, just eight months after his surprise election triumph made him look all but invincible on the domestic political battleground.
But it is not too late for him to redeem himself. He should tell voters, humbly and frankly, that he has tried hard but failed to secure a deal worth having.
Latest summary
If you’re just joining the blog, welcome (were you up all night reading EU documents, or something?). Here’s where we’re up to so far on Saturday, as we await David Cameron’s weekend cabinet meeting.
What we know
David Cameron has claimed victory and pledged to campaign with “all my heart and soul” to keep Britain inside the EU after a deal was struck on Friday evening to redraw the terms of the UK’s membership.
Leaders of the other 27 member nations agreed to a deal that will see:
- a seven-year term for the emergency brake to restrict EU migrants in the UK claiming in-work benefits.
- child benefit payments indexed to the cost of living for children living outside the UK for all new arrivals to the UK, extending to all workers from 1 January 2020.
- any single non-eurozone country able to force a debate among EU leaders about ‘problem’ eurozone laws – though they will not have a veto.
- an unequivocal opt-out stating that EU treaty “references to ever-closer union do not apply to the United Kingdom”.
What we don’t yet know
- The date of the in/out referendum, widely believed, but not confirmed, to be 23 June.
- Whether Michael Gove will make the leap from eurosceptic to full-blown no campaigner – and which other prominent Conservatives, such as Boris Johnson, might also range themselves against their party leader. Cameron signalled that he expected Gove to go his own way, saying on Friday night:
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future.
I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
What happens next
Cameron has summoned his cabinet to a meeting on Saturday morning – reportedly the first time the cabinet has met on a Saturday since the Falklands war.
The prime minister will announce that the government endorses the deal and will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU – but this lets off the leash those members of the cabinet who oppose membership and will now be free to campaign for a no vote.
The later edition of Saturday’s Guardian front page caught the deal being sealed:
The Guardian front page, Saturday 20 February 2016: Cameron strikes new EU deal pic.twitter.com/3WWIN9gd7t
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) February 20, 2016
As a counterpoint to those EU leaders applauding the deal, those favouring Brexit said it was not enough to sway them.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage wasn’t won over:
This is a truly pathetic deal. Let's Leave the EU, control our borders, run our own country and stop handing £55m every day to Brussels.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) February 19, 2016
Labour MP Frank Field said he would be campaigning for a no vote in the referendum:
The PM has failed to secure the key renegotiation requirement, namely, that we should regain control of our borders https://t.co/g6a0n48fJq
— Frank Field MP (@frankfieldteam) February 19, 2016
The vote no campaign saw the deal as further grist to its mill:
Statement on EU deal from #LeaveEU co-chair Richard Tice: “Cameron promised half a loaf, begged for a crust and brought home crumbs.” #EUCO
— LEAVE.EU (@LeaveEUOfficial) February 19, 2016
Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan suggested the last-minute agreement was an act of showmanship:
Britain banged the table and aggressively demanded the status quo. The EU, after some mandatory faux-agonising, agreed. #EUCO #VoteLeave
— Daniel Hannan (@DanHannanMEP) February 19, 2016
And Rupert Murdoch – like Cameron – seemed convinced that Michael Gove will be campaigning for Brexit:
Congratulations Michael Gove. Friends always knew his principles would overcome his personal friendships.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) February 20, 2016
How special is the UK's 'special status'?
David Cameron’s tweet claiming “I have negotiated a deal to give the UK special status in the EU” has been knocked back by others involved in the deal, Jennifer Rankin reports.
I have negotiated a deal to give the UK special status in the EU. I will be recommending it to Cabinet tomorrow. Press conference shortly.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) February 19, 2016
EU officials downplayed Cameron’s claims, pointing out that the agreement confirmed Britain’s place as the country with the largest number of opt-outs and exclusions from EU law.
“Having a special status is not a reason for divorce,” said one senior official.
European council president Donald Tusk said:
The special status of the UK is nothing new – in fact, it is the essence of our common history.
Jean-Claude Juncker pointed out that:
The UK has always had special and specific status.
EU officials stressed that the “self-destruct clause” remains intact, meaning that if Britain votes to leave the European Union, the deal will disappear.
Reaction to the deal
European leaders have expressed their support for the deal – some more enthusiastically than others.
Donald Tusk
The president of the European Council said the deal had been unanimously agreed by all 28 leaders:
I deeply believe the UK needs Europe and Europe needs the UK. But the final decision is in the hands of the British people.
We didn’t walk away from the negotiating table. We were willing to sacrifice part of our interests for the common good, to show our unity.
The #UKinEU settlement addresses all of David Cameron’s concerns without compromising our fundamental values.
Angela Merkel
The German chancellor said the British deal was a fair compromise that introduced “a number of very interesting and valuable changes to the EU”:
We believe that with this we have given David Cameron a package with which he can campaign in Britain for Britain to stay in the European Union…
I wish David Cameron all the best in the coming weeks and months.
She said Germany would consider introducing similar restrictions on child benefit and rejected criticism that “we’ve given away too much” – although she conceded that the the issue of ever-closer union had been difficult to agree:
That’s an emotional issue. I am one of those who are for it.
Jean-Claude Juncker
The president of the European Commission said the deal was fair to Britain and the other member states:
The deal does not deepen cracks in our union, but builds bridges.
Beata Szydło
The prime minister of Poland, whose citizens in the UK are likely to be among those most affected by the rule changes on benefits, tweeted in cautious support of the deal:
Today’s agreement is good news for Europe. We took care of the interests of the Polish people benefiting from social security in the member states.
Enda Kenny
The Irish taoiseach said he supported strongly the idea that Britian should stay in the EU, but cautioned:
This is only the start of the process … The campaign begins here and it will be very challenging, given the circumstances that apply in Britain.
Matteo Renzi
The Italian PM sounded pleased that the summit was over:
The fact that we can go home now is also a step forward because at a certain point even that wasn’t a given.
Opening summary
If you’re after up-to-the-minute coverage of the aftermath of David Cameron’s EU deal – secured in a late-night coming-together in Brussels on Friday – as the prime minister takes the detail of the agreement to his fractious cabinet, then happy Saturday: you’ve come to the right place.
What we know
David Cameron has claimed victory and pledged to campaign with “all my heart and soul” to keep Britain inside the EU after a deal was struck on Friday evening to redraw the terms of the UK’s membership.
Leaders of the other 27 member nations agreed to a deal that will see:
- a seven-year term for the emergency brake to restrict EU migrants in the UK claiming in-work benefits.
- child benefit payments indexed to the cost of living for children living outside the UK for all new arrivals to the UK, extending to all workers from 1 January 2020.
- any single non-eurozone country able to force a debate among EU leaders about ‘problem’ eurozone laws – though they will not have a veto.
- an unequivocal opt-out stating that EU treaty “references to ever-closer union do not apply to the United Kingdom”.
What we don’t yet know
- The date of the in/out referendum, widely believed, but not confirmed, to be 23 June.
- Whether Michael Gove will make the leap from eurosceptic to full-blown no campaigner – and which other prominent Conservatives, such as Boris Johnson, might also range themselves against their party leader. Cameron signalled that he expected Gove to go his own way, saying on Friday night:
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future.
I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
What happens next
Cameron has summoned his cabinet to a meeting on Saturday morning – reportedly the first time the cabinet has met on a Saturday since the Falklands war.
The prime minister will announce that the government endorses the deal and will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU – but this lets off the leash those members of the cabinet who oppose membership and will now be free to campaign for a no vote.
Morning reading list
- Cameron will put ‘heart and soul’ into staying in EU after sealing deal
- David Cameron’s EU deal: what he wanted and what he got
- Teabags and treachery: how the talks unfolded
- Natalie Nougayrède: Cameron must now show he can be a constructive EU player
- Matthew d’Ancona: Cameron’s dogged work won tussle in Brussels – now he faces fight at home
- John Crace: Grassroots Out unites politicians – the ones we normally try to avoid
