David Cameron's Commons statement on the draft EU renegotiation - Summary and analysis
David Cameron may well have received a thorough kicking from the rightwing press this morning, but when it came to facing his MPs in the House of Commons this afternoon, he had a remarkably easy ride. True, the vocal Out brigade were out in force to criticise the draft renegotiation deal. But what was significant was quite how restrained they all were. About the only person to express any genuine disdain was Jacob Rees-Mogg. (See 1.54pm.)
Is a tribute to the innate politeness of Conservative backbenchers? Maybe they are a polite lot, but actually something much more significant has happened: the great Tory Euro split, the one that was supposed to be on a par with the Repeal of the Corn Laws, has been called off.
That is not to say the party is united. Dozens of Tory MPs will vote to leave the EU, and at some point the debate may get bitter and unpleasant. If the Conservative party were in the midst of an existential crisis, and about to tear itself apart on this great issue of principle, then at this point - with Cameron’s renegotiation virtually over - the fissure would open up in the House of Commons. The Out bandwagon would be rolling, and passions would not running high. But it isn’t, and they’re not. If anything, momentum is with the In side. (Look at what Theresa May said last night.) Not only is there no need to dig out the Robert Peel biographies; this doesn’t even seem to compare with Maastricht.
There may be an entire dissertation to be written about why the great Tory Euro split has fizzled out but here is a quick summary of some of the people/factors who can take the credit/blame.
- Mark Reckless, Ukip, and Nigel Farage - because if Reckless had kept his seat at the election, or Ukip had done better, then defecting to an anti-EU party might be a realistic career option for Conservative MPs. Now it isn’t.
- First past the post - because, if FPTP went, a rightwing, anti-EU party would become electorally viable.
- Ed Miliband and Labour - because if Labour were in government, and holding a referendum, Tory MPs would probably find backing the No campaign much more appealing. So Miliband contributed by losing the election, although if he had one, he was not planning a referendum, and so he could have contributed in that regard too.
- David Cameron - because he seems to be doing a reasonably good job of containing his ministerial EU rebels. (It would not be hard to imagine a gang of anti-EU ministers putting out a joint statement today denouncing the deal, and challenging Cameron to sack them. But that has not happened, and the key floating voters - Theresa May and Boris Johnson - seem to be leaning In.)
Of these four factors, FPTP is probably the most important.
Anyway, back to Cameron. Here are the main points from his session.
- Cameron suggested that he will introduce further measures to assert the sovereignty of the UK parliament if he successfully concludes a deal on the terms of Britain’s EU membership. As Nicholas Watt and Rowena Mason report, Cameron said he would move to “put beyond doubt” the sovereignty of parliament when he was challenged on his negotiations by Boris Johnson. The exchanges between Cameron and the London mayor will fuel speculation that Johnson will make a late entry into the campaign to keep the UK in a reformed EU.
- Cameron rejected calls to rule out an EU referendum in June, effectively confirming reports that Thursday 23 June is his preferred date. Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, raised the issue at PMQs and the it came up again repeatedly during the statement. Robertson said the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had written to Cameron saying holding the referendum in June would mean the campaign overlapped with the elections to the devolved bodies. In their letter the first ministers, Nicola Sturgeon, Carwyn Jones and Arlene Foster ,said:
We believe that holding a referendum as early as June will mean that a significant part of the referendum campaign will necessarily run in parallel with those elections and risks confusing issues at a moment when clarity is required.
Furthermore, it will be virtually impossible for the political parties in our respective territories to plan effectively for, and where appropriate work together on, the referendum campaign while our own elections are in progress.
Cameron said:
I respect the electorates of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the basis that I think people are perfectly capable of making up their minds in a local election or in a Scottish parliamentary election, or in a Welsh assembly election and then, a period of some weeks afterwards, making up their mind all over again on the vital question of the European Union.
He also said that Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister, originally called for a six week gap between the May elections and the EU referendum. Cameron said he would not hold the referendum within six weeks of the May elections. Thursday 23 June comes seven weeks after the May poll. Cameron also said that voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were in favour of a referendum.
- Cameron said that the “emergency brake” mechanism could be introduced within months. Asked about claims that it could take up to 18 months for the UK to get the power to apply the “emergency brake” cutting benefits for EU migrants, he accepted that the European parliament would have to pass legislation. But he said that the parliament was a party to the deal, and that he had discussed this with the leader of the EPP group, the biggest in the parliament. The law could be fast-tracked through the parliament within three months, he said.
- He said Britain was extending its “different sort of membership of the EU” under the proposals in the draft renegotiation plan.
We are well on our way to saying that our different sort of membership of the EU is not only safeguarded, but is being extended because not only are we out of the euro, out of Schengen, but we are also out of every closer union too.
- He said ministers who campaigned to leave the EU once the deal was finalised would not have their careers “jeopardised or threatened”. He was responding to a question from the Tory Michael Fabricant who asked for this assurances.
- Cameron said the EU renegotiation required more work.
I believe we are making real progress in all four areas but the process is far from over. There are details that still need to be pinned down and intense negotiations to try and agree the deal with 27 other countries.
- He urged Conservative MPs to ignore the views of their local parties and decide for themselves how to vote in the EU referendum. He said:
If you passionately believe in your heart that Britain is better off outside the EU, then you should vote that way. If you think, even if it’s on balance, I think Britain’s better off in, go with what you think. Don’t take a view because of what your constituency association might say, or you’re worried about a boundary review, or you think it might be advantageous this way or that way. Do what’s in your heart, if you think it’s right for Britain then do that.
- Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, dismissed the renegotiation as “a Tory party drama”. He told Cameron:
In truth, your negotiation in reality is a Tory Party drama that’s being played out in front of us as we see at the moment.
For all the sound and fury you have ended up exactly where you knew you would be - making the case to remain in Europe, which is what you always intended despite the renegotiating spectacle choreographed for TV cameras over the whole continent.
That’s all from me for today.
Thanks for the comments.
Updated
Northern Ireland’s new First Minister Arlene Foster has indicated that her Democratic Unionist Party is considering a campaign for vote to leave Europe in the upcoming EU referendum.
Foster today described David Cameron’s deal secured this week with EU officials as “disappointing.”
The DUP leader said: “Given where we are today, it looks very much as if we will be on the coming out of Europe side.
“We are a Eurosceptic party and it certainly looks as if we’re not going to get a deal which will bring any fundamental reforms in respect of our relationship with the European Union.”
The head of Northern Ireland’s biggest political party in the Stormont regional Assembly did join with her two pro-European Scottish and Welsh counterparts - Nicola Sturgeon and Carwn Jones - in asking the Prime Minister not to hold the refendum in June.
The joint letter from the First Ministers of three regions warned that with elections to devolved parliaments in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff in May, the EU referendum could “subsume” all other issues concerning devolution.
Foster did add that the DUP would wait for the final outcome of negotiations between the Prime Minister and the EU before finally making its mind up definitely on support for Brexit.
John Bercow, the Speaker, winds the session up. David Cameron has been taking questions about the draft EU renegotiation for two hours, after the half an hour he spent on PMQs.
Anyone expecting a Tory party bloodbath will have been bitterly disappointed. I’ll post a summary with more shortly.
This is from the BBC’s James Landale.
PM's tone about the EU is more caveated today. Difference between parliament and the campaign stump.
— James Landale (@BBCJLandale) February 3, 2016
Mike Wood, a Conservative, asks how much support there is in the European parliament for the “emergency brake” plan.
Cameron says the head of the largest group in the European parliament says this legislation could be passed in months.
(That is the conservative European People’s Party, which is led by the German MEP Manfred Weber.)
Cameron says it is particularly important for business to speak out, particularly on the issue of jobs.
Mark Spencer, a Conservative, asks what Cameron will do to encourage a high turnout in the referendum.
Cameron says he would encourage businesses to speak out. And if they have corporate governance concerns about expressing a view, they should address those now so that are are able to participate.
Chris Philp, a Conservative, asks what would happen if Britain voted to stay in, and the European parliament were to then decide not to pass the “emergency brake” legislation.
Cameron says the European parliament is a party to these negotiations, and therefore signed up to this, he implies.
Richard Drax, a Conservative, says MPs are just “tenants”. They have no right to sell British rights to an unaccountable institution like the EU.
Cameron says he agrees. That is why is is giving the people a say.
Mark Durkan, the SDLP MP, asks how the “emergency brake” benefits rules will apply to cross-border workers in a constituency like his.
Cameron says he will look into this, but he thinks the common border arrangements between Ireland and Northern Ireland will apply.
Labour’s Cat Smith asks what progress Cameron is making in terms of getting approval to remove the “tampon tax”.
Cameron says this is difficult, because of EU VAT rules. But he wants to get it fixed.
Back in the Commons Cameron is still responding to questions. Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative, says the draft renegotiation deal is “”grudging” and “threadbare”.
Three Conservative MPs have been expressing reservations about the draft EU renegotiation deal in interviews with the BBC.
Maria Caulfield said she and other Tories were “very disappointed” with what was on offer. She told the World at One:
Most of us were waiting for the deal. We said ‘if anyone can get us a good deal, it’s the prime minister’. But now that we know what that deal is going to be like, talking to a number of colleagues this morning they are very disappointed and likely to be voting to leave.
Andrew Bridgen said Cameron would try to claim another victory, but that it would not amount to much. He said:
I think the prime minister will try and pull another dead rabbit from the hat and tell us it’s a live tiger. I think within a week it will be announced that we have got a new sort of membership where we are an associate member, but it doesn’t change anything fundamentally at all.
Maria Miller, the former culture secretary, said “a lot of detail that needs to be ironed out”. She went on:
I think it’s important we don’t see the document watered down, we need to make sure that the things that haven’t been ironed out and the detail that hasn’t been yet agreed is firmed up and firmed up fast.
Here is a Guardian video with a clip from Cameron’s statement.
This is from Chris Bryant, the shadow leader of the Commons.
Three Tory MPs have told me they want IN to win but will vote OUT.
— Chris Bryant MP (@RhonddaBryant) February 3, 2016
Peter Bone, a Conservative, says 2,500 people turned up to the first meeting of the Grassroots Out campaign, Go. Another meeting is planned for Manchester. If Cameron does not get what he wants at the EU summit, will Cameron join them. And can he offer Cameron a Go tie.
Tory MPs are wearing new @Grassroots_Out ties today for #pmqs. David Cameron has been offered one. Will he wear it? pic.twitter.com/eSfvnIVebo
— Christopher Hope (@christopherhope) February 3, 2016
Cameron says that Bone is being generous, but that he will not be able to make the Go meeting.
Nick Herbert, a Conservative former Home Office minister, says the deal shows that Europe is not just moving at different speeds, but that countries are now heading in different directions.
Cameron agrees.
Labour’s Debbie Abrahams asks about the Guardian story saying it could take 18 months before the “emergency brake” comes into force.
Cameron says that there would need to be legislation in the European parliament, but that this could be done in months.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative, says EU migrants will not be detered by what has been offered. “Ever closer union” is still in the treaties. And competitiveness has been an EU aim for years. This is “thin gruel”. Cameron has two weeks to “salvage his reputation as a negotiator”.
Cameron says he disagrees. He says Rees-Mogg does not appreciate how significant the proposals about safeguarding non-eurozone countries are. And look at what it says about “ever closer union”. The text makes it clear that this phrase cannot be used to drive integration. We are well on the way to saying our different sort of membership of the EU is being, not just safeguarded, but extended.
Damian Green, the Conservative former Home Office minister, says the most important thing said by Donald Tusk yesterday was the reference in his letter to the UK not being committed to further political integration. Isn’t this what people always wanted - being in Europe, but not run by Europe?
Cameron agrees.
Cameron says the government will be coming forward with plans for a British bill of rights shortly.
Anne Main, a Conservative, says Cameron’s plan is not what the British people want because the EU can still control what Britain does in key areas.
Cameron says the deal would enforce the principle of subsidiarity. And he says the EU has already agreed that Britain could apply the “emergency brake”.
Steve Baker, a Conservative, says he admires the skill with which Cameron is defending, nay “polishing”, this deal. But what happened to his desire to tackle the social chapter and employment rights.
The “polishing” reference was a nod to what he said yesterday about how the deal amounted to “polishing poo”.
Cameron says the social chapter as such does not exist any more. It is now part of the single market legislation.
Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative, says the former head of the EU legal service has said it is impossible for EU leaders to come to an agreement that legally overrules the treaties. He described the idea as bovine excrement (ie, bullshit).
Cameron says he does not agree. As he said earlier, Denmark got assurances that proved legally binding, he says.
Outside the chamber Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, has issued a statement saying his party will launch its own campaign to keep Britain in the EU next Wednesday. He said:
Whatever the prime minister delivered some of his backbenchers would say it is not enough. The prime minister could have built a wall and demanded Europe pay for it, delivered the closure of all borders and the ending of any payment to the EU and still some of his backbenchers would say it is not enough.
They will always say that he should have demanded more. They are an utter farce and Britain deserves better than seeing Tory MPs fighting like rats in sack.
Sir Gerald Howarth, a Conservative, asks Cameron to accept he has not achieved fundamental reform.
Cameron says the red card plan is significant. It would give national parliaments an absolute block on EU law.
Cameron repeats his claim that a four-month referendum campaign is in no way disrespectful to the devolved parliaments.
Cameron says once there is a deal at the EU, the cabinet will meet to decide whether to accept. At that point ministers will be free to campaign for Brexit if they want.
Labour’s Caroline Flint congratulates Cameron for addressing the issue of EU migrants’ benefits. Can Cameron confirm that, if Britain leaves the EU, the French will withdraw cooperation over Calais.
Cameron thanks her for what she said about the “emergency brake”. He says the UK benefits from French cooperation at Calais.
Cameron says he remembers being in the Commons chamber when he said let the referendum campaign begin over the EU constitution. But that referendum never took place, he says. People felt let down.
Sir Edward Leigh, a Conservative, thanks Cameron for giving the UK a vote. But what is a point of an emergency brake if it is the backseat drivers who decide if it gets to be used?
Cameron says in this case the EU has already decided that the brake can apply.
Cameron says MPs should vote on the EU in accordance with what they think, not because they are worried about a boundary review, or what their constituency party might think.
Cameron says 'emergency brake' law could be passed within three months
Peter Lilley, the Conservative former social security, says the EU treaties will need to be changed to allow the UK to operate the “emergency brake”.
Cameron says there does not need to be treaty change for the “emergency brake” to apply, but legislation would have to go through the European parliament.
However, one of the party leaders there has said this could go through in one, two or three months, he says.
- Cameron says “emergency brake” law could be passed within three months.
Updated
Alastair McDonnell, the SDLP MP, says he also wants the referendum delayed. And he asks if the UK will play a more engaged role in the EU if Britain votes to stay in.
He says he does not think a four-month referendum campaign is too long. And he says he would campaign in Northern Ireland.
This, from the Spectator’s James Forsyth, is probably spot on.
That Cameron Boris exchange strongly suggests that Boris will back In but not until after Cameron unveils his sovereignty declaration
— James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) February 3, 2016
But the legal blogger Carl Gardner says the law Johnson wants would be “constitutionally illiterate”.
Cameron just trailed some kind of “Parliamentary Sovereignty Act”. You couldn’t come up with a more constitutionally illiterate proposal.
— Carl Gardner (@carlgardner) February 3, 2016
Cameron says government planning early legislation to assert supremacy of parliament
Boris Johnson decides he does want a question. How will these changes restrict the amount of regulation coming out of Brussels and assert the sovereignty of the UK?
Cameron says the goverment made it clear parliament was sovereign in legislation in 2010 (the referendum lock bill). But he wants to go further, and clarify this in fresh legislation. That will be introduced when this deal comes into force.
- Cameron indicates that the government is planning to legislate soon to assert the supremacy of parliament.
Updated
Cameron reads out from what the Donald Tusk documents say about how “ever closer union” should not be used to justify extending the reach of EU laws.
This matters, he says. He says in many ways it goes beyond what he wanted.
Tusk issued six separate documents yesterday setting out the terms of the draft renegotiation deal. You can read them all here.
Alan Johnson, who is running the Labour In campaign, asks Cameron if he welcomes the Environmentalists for In campaign headed by Stanley Johnson, Boris’s father.
Cameron jokes that he would not want all Johnson’s agreeing with each other.
Boris Johnson is in the chamber. John Bercow, the Speaker, says he would call him if he wanted to ask a question, but Johnson evidently doesn’t.
Sir Bill Cash, a Conservative, says he does not accept that the EU deal would be legally binding.
Cameron says he disagrees. The proposals would be legally binding. They are similar to the opt-outs negotiated by Denmark in the 1990s, and those are still in force.
Cameron dismisses call for referendum to be delayed
Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, says Cameron should not be pretending he has achieved major change.
The timing of the referendum matters, he says.
He says this morning the first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all written to Cameron saying holding a referendum in June would mean that much of the campaign would overlap with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland elections. Their letter says the referendum should be put off until later in the year. Will Cameron do that?
- First ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland write joint letter to Cameron asking him not to hold the EU referendum in June.
Cameron says there is a range of opinions about this. The Labour leader wants the referendum to be in June, even though his party is in power in Wales. The best thing to do is to get the renegotiation done and then hold the referendum, he says.
- Cameron dismisses call for referendum to be delayed
Kenneth Clarke, the former Conservative chancellor, says Cameron achieved more than he accepted. But it will be hard getting Eastern European countries to accept their citizens in the UK getting less than Britons. Can Cameron offer them support in their stance against Russia as compensation?
Cameron says he wants to reassure Eastern European countries about the UK’s investment in their security.
Cameron is responding to Corbyn.
He says, if he had given the statement yesterday, MPs would not have had a chance to read the documents.
And he had the chance to visit Chippenham, where Corbyn was born. He could thank it for putting Corbyn on earth.
He says Corbyn may not have read the Labour manifesto, but he did. Many of the packages in his renegotiation were in it, including a ban on EU migrants getting benefits for two years.
He says other socialists in Europe support TTIP. If Corbyn spends time with trade unionists in places like Sweden, he will find they support TTIP.
Jeremy Corbyn is responding to Cameron.
He only got Cameron’s statement 45 minutes ago, he says.
He says Cameron should have come to the Commons yesterday. That would have been more respectful to MPs.
The renegotiation is a “Tory party drama”, he says.
He says Labour wants the UK to stay in the EU. But Cameron has been negotiating the wrong goals in the wrong way for the wrong reasons.
He welcomes the red card proposals, even though they are qualified.
Protecting non-eurozone states is necessary. But the measures should not stop the EU dealing with issues like bankers’ bonuses.
He says the “emergency brake” plan will not tackle the issues around exploitation and low pay.
Labour will continue to oppose TTIP (the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, the EU/US free trade deal).
Britain should work with the EU to get tax avoidance under control, he says.
Does Cameron agree that, once this “smoke and mirror sideshow” is over, the referendum will be held on 23 June?
Cameron says he will never say that the EU is perfect.
But the deal offers a clear path to a better settlement for Britain in the EU. It will offer families security at every stage of their lives.
Cameron claims “emergency brake” could come into force shortly after EU referendum
Cameron turns to immigration.
He says the government will be announcing further measures to restrict immigration from outside the EU.
Thanks to the hard work of the home secretary, there are measures to stop abuses of the immigration system.
And there are also measures in the plan to address the pull factor created by UK benefits.
- Child benefit for children living abroad will be paid at local rates, not UK rates.
- An emergency brake means EU migrants will have to wait four years before they can get full access to UK benefits.
Cameron says the emergency brake can come into force shortly after the EU referendum. (This is not what they were briefing in Brussels yesterday.)
- Cameron claims “emergency brake” could come into force shortly after EU referendum. He told MPs:
And the European Commission has said very clearly that Britain qualifies already to use this mechanism. So with the necessary legislation, we’ll be able to implement it shortly after the referendum.
- Cameron announces that there will be a full day’s debate in the Commons on the EU renegotiation.
Updated
Cameron is running through what he has achieved.
- Kept Britain out of ever closer union.
- Given national parliaments new powers to block EU laws.
- Got the EU to enforce the principle of subsidiarity.
- Measures to promote competitiveness.
- Measures to protect the single market, with protection for countries not in the euro.
- A guarantee that the UK will not have to contribute to eurozone bailouts.
Updated
Cameron's Common statement on the draft EU renegotiation plan
David Cameron is now making his Commons statement on the EU renegotiation.
From the way it starts, it sounds as if much of what he is saying duplicates what he said in his speech on this yesterday.
Stephen Kinnock, the Labour MP, says the dumping of Chinese steel in Europe is cripping the British steel industry. Yet giving China market economy status will make it harder for the EU to act. Why is the government supporting market economy status for China.
Cameron says it is not right to link those two issues. The EU can act against countries even if they have market economy status.
Johnny Mercer, a Conservative, asks about the Iraq historical abuse investigations. Will Cameron tighten up on this?
Cameron says the government will crack down on any military firm abusing the system.
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw asks when the government will take meaningful action to deal with the dirty Russian money in London.
Cameron says the government took action after the Litvinenko report. Britain is doing more than other countries in terms of imposing transparency rules on business, he says. And it will impose similar rules relating to property too, he says.
Mark Spencer, a Conservative, asks if Cameron will solve the PFI mess left by Labour affecting Sherwood hospital.
Cameron says he will look at this. These problems are very hard to solve, he says.
Cameron says Labour’s latest plan is to use Trident submarine to transport military personnel around the world. It is the most expensive Uber service anyone has ever thought of, he says.
(He is referring to this Sunday Telegraph story.)
Cameron says unaccompanied child refugees can claim asylum in the UK if a family connection if they are in another EU country under the Dublin convention.
Julian Knight, a Conservative, asks Cameron if he support pension tax relief being paid at a flat rate.
Cameron says the Treasury published a consultation on this last year. Taxes are a matter for the chancellor and the budget, he says.
Tom Elliott, the UUP MP, asks if there will be an investigation into the activities of Stakeknife, the alleged informer in Northern Ireland.
Cameron says he will write to Elliott about this.
Antoinette Sandbach, a Conservative, asks if Cameron will meet a constituent affected by a non-resident parent not paying maintenance.
Cameron says many MPs have come across cases like this. A new statutory child maintenance service has been introduced, he says. The meeting Sandbach wants will go ahead.
Labour’s Stella Creasy says Cameron said more money is going into the NHS. But her local hospital trust is spending £1.5m a week on interest payments for its PFI deal. When will Cameron deal with these legal loan sharks in the public sector?
Cameron says sometimes it takes a long time to unwind the damage done by a Labour government.
June 23 is 7 weeks after the local elections...#pmqs
— Owen Bennett (@owenjbennett) February 3, 2016
#PMQs Cameron guarantees no EU ref within 6 weeks of devolved referendums, as called for by for 1st Min Alex Salmond
— Harry Smith (@stvharry) February 3, 2016
Chris Chope asks PM to confirm he has dropped his 4 year EU benefits ban. Camo doesn't agree. #pmqs pic.twitter.com/DRpukbB83c
— Asa Bennett (@asabenn) February 3, 2016
Snap PMQs verdict
Snap PMQs verdict: One of Cameron’s weakest PMQs performances for some time. On NHS radiologists his initial non-answer was more blatant than normal, and his jibes at Corbyn - “crazy” plans, and the reference to his “cogs” turning slowly - felt particularly inappropriate given the subject at hand, and Corbyn’s earnest and sombre tone. Cameron was better when handling the question about EMA, but it was probably “job done” for Corbyn. Cameron’s repeated references to Wales and Scotland also felt rather “off-topic” although, as an insight into how the Tories will campaign between now and May, his repeated attack on Labour’s tax-raising agenda in Scotland was very revealing.
Updated
Corbyn says the 62-day target was last met 19 months ago. He turns to the welfare bill. Martin contacted him. MPs jeer. It’s not funny for Martin, he says. Martin has a close friend with breast cancer. Cuts to ESA (employment and support allowance) will hurt her. Will that cut be reversed?
Cameron says there are two sorts of ESA: the wrag [work-related activitis group] group (who are expected to be able to work at some point in the future), and the group who can’t work. The cuts will only affect people in the wrag group, and only future claimants. He goes back to Wales. Hip operations take 197 days, he says. Corbyn should tell the Welsh government to stop cutting the NHS in Wales.
Corbyn says Cameron did not answer the question about whether he would go ahead with the cut. Charities like Macmillan Cancer Support are opposed to this. Cameron used to say those with the broadest shoulders should bear the biggest cut. Are cancer patients really those with the broadest shoulders. Please think again, prime minister.
Cameron says those with the broadest shoulders are top-rate tax payes, and they are paying. It is clear what Labour’s policy is: cutting the NHS in Wales, and putting up tax.
Corbyn says Cameron did not answer the point about radiologists. He says the government is planning to cut £200m from the public health budget. Won’t that lead to an increase in cancer?
Cameron says there are 1,800 more diagnostic radiologists than in 2010 - a 15% increase. That happened because he put more money into the NHS, even though Labour said that would be irresponsible. The money is being invested in England. In Wales there is a Labour government, and no cancer drugs fund. Corbyn needs to sort that out, he says. Real advances have been made in public health. Budgets have been ringfenced. That did not happen under Labour.
Corbyn says Cameron is responsible for the NHS in England, not Wales. Cancer survival rates are improving faster in Wales than anywhere else. He goes back to public health budgets. When was the last time the NHS target for starting treatment within 62 days was met?
Cameron says he admitted earlier that the government was missing this target, but hitting two others. Corbyn’s cogs need to move faster. Labour wants to cut the NHS in Wales, and put up taxes in Scotland. Radiologists will have to pay more tax in Scotland. Labour has learnt nothing.
Jeremy Corbyn says tomorrow is world cancer day. Almost every family is affected by it. Some 1,000 are diagnosed with it a day. Yet there has been a 36% increase in the number of people having to wait six weeks for a diagnosis.
Cameron says the fight against cancer is one he wants to win. He says the government is treating more patients, and quotes figures to that effect.
Corbyn says early diagnosis is essential in dealing with cancer. The government’s taskforce last year said there was a shortage of radiologists. So why are training places being cut by 5%?
Cameron says we are getting more, because more money is going into the NHS. He says the government is meeting its targets for two out of three cancer measures. On training, the number of places is being increased. The money is there because the economy is strong. It would not be there if we followed Corbyn’s “crazy” plans.
Marcus Fysh, a Conservative, asks a very long-winded question about defence spending. He gets shouted down at the end because he goes on too long.
Cameron says Yeovil (Fysh’s constituency) makes a big contribution to defence. The government is committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence.
Labour’s John Mann asks is that it. Is that the best he can do? Nothing for pensioners or workers. The long-term economic plan is reliant on over 1m new migrants entering the country before 2020. Can David Cameron confirm that?
Cameron says the government has the triple lock for pensioners, and is creating jobs for workers. Staying in a reformed Europe will be good for jobs, he says.
IDS and Theresa Villiers standing beside each other as they wait to hear Cameron at #PMQs
— Kate Devlin (@_katedevlin) February 3, 2016
Tory MPs make a point of cheering Cameron when he enters for #PMQs. Today it felt more like groans.
— Conor Pope (@Conorpope) February 3, 2016
Liam Fox just two rows behind PM in the Chamber - in the 'Ken Clarke' seat #PMQs
— steve hawkes (@steve_hawkes) February 3, 2016
#PMQs at 12 featuring these MPs including sceptic Chope - and then PM statement on EU draft deal ... pic.twitter.com/Q7f3JyNVbD
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) February 3, 2016
David Cameron enters the Commons for PMQs, to the faintest possible cheers
— Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) February 3, 2016
Cameron at PMQs
PMQs is about to start.
This is from the Sun’s Steve Hawkes.
PMQs rumour that Jeremy Corbyn will go big on - health
— steve hawkes (@steve_hawkes) February 3, 2016
On the Daily Politics Andrew Neil has just challenged Therese Coffey, the deputy leader of the Commons, over what William Hague used to say about the merits of a red card arrangement to allow national parliaments to block EU laws.
It is a very damaging clip, and may well come up during David Cameron’s statement later.
As we reported on #wato yesterday, this is what William Hague said about proposed EU Red Card in 2008: https://t.co/Fk57kTRtj8
— The World at One (@BBCWorldatOne) February 3, 2016
Updated
In the debate in the European parliament earlier Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister who now leads the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group of MEPs, said Britain would be a “dwarf” without the EU. He told MEPs:
I think it would be a huge mistake if Britain would leave the European Union, not so much economically ... most of all geopolitically. I think Britain without Europe, OK, it’s a dwarf - let’s be honest. We Belgians, we know that we are dwarfs, but maybe they are going to know it also. On the other hand, Europe without Great Britain doesn’t count, it is not a counterweight against China, against Russia, against the United States.
Updated
Although David Cameron’s EU renegotiation has been pilloried in much of the British press, on the continent some of the papers are much more favourable.
De fait, si l’essentiel des demandes britanniques a été traité et déminé pour permettre à M. Cameron de se présenter en vainqueur devant les électeurs et maximiser les chances d’un maintien du Royaume-Uni dans l’Union, bien des points à haute sensibilité politique restent à négocier, au moins jusqu’au Conseil européen des 18 et 19 février.
And in Germany Der Spiegel says the EU has moved towards meeting Cameron’s requirements.
Die EU ist Premier Cameron bei seinen Reformwünschen weit entgegengekommen. Aber reicht das, damit die Briten beim Referendum für den Verbleib in der Union stimmen? Erste Reaktionen sorgen für Skepsis.
Yesterday Boris Johnson, the Conservative MP and mayor of London, was quite critical of the draft EU renegotiation plan, saying “much, much more” needed to be done.
This morning, doorstepped by Sky News, Johnson said much the same, although he sounded fractionally less critical than we was being yesterday. He told Sky:
The prime minister is making the best of a bad job ... Most people looking at this will think there’s a lot more to do ... Let’s wait and see, when this whole thing is agreed, and try and see what it really means, every bit of it.
Looking at this morning’s newspapers (see 9.10am), Vote Leave is trying to brand this the omnishambles EU deal.
This is the #omnishambles EU deal, and these are the worst headlines for the Government since the 2012 Budget pic.twitter.com/QiwaAvRQDx
— Vote Leave (@vote_leave) February 3, 2016
Obama reaffirms his support for Britain remaining in the EU
President Obama has reaffirmed his support for Britain remaining in the EU. He made the point in a conversation with David Cameron yesterday, and the White House has confirmed it in its readout from the call.
Here’s an extract.
Finally, they noted ongoing efforts to resolve the political impasse in Libya, and Prime Minister Cameron updated President Obama on his negotiations with European Union leaders to reform the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union. The President reaffirmed continued U.S. support for a strong United Kingdom in a strong European Union.
A preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice could have an important impact on countries seeking to detain illegal immigrants, the Press Association reports. It has filed this story.
Migrants who enter a European country illegally cannot be imprisoned on the grounds of their entry alone, a senior European Court of Justice (ECJ) figure has ruled.
The preliminary ruling said that if a migrant has not been stopped crossing into the Schengen area - Europe’s border control-free region - they cannot later be locked up for illegal entry.
Eurosceptics claimed the ruling means migrants caught trying to enter the UK illegally will be allowed to disappear and keep trying until they succeed.
The decision came after Ghanaian Selina Affum was detained by French police when they found her trying to enter the Channel Tunnel, on a coach travelling from Ghent in Belgium to London, in March 2013 with someone else’s passport.
She challenged whether the French law that allows non-EU foreign nationals to be imprisoned for a year if they have entered the country illegally is justified under an EU directive on illegal migrants.
ECJ advocate general Maciej Szpunar ruled that France had no right to detain her.
He said the directive “should be interpreted as being opposed to a member state punishing the illegal entry of a citizen from a third-party country by imprisoning them when that person has been intercepted during their exit from the Schengen area at an external border of said member state, in transit from another member state, and is likely to be taken back by this member state”.
The ruling even applies if the migrant is stopped on their way out of the Schengen area, as in Affum’s case, or is waiting to be readmitted to the European country they have come from.
An ECJ spokesman said: “The foreign national is not covered by either of the two situations in which her imprisonment is possible (which is the case here, since Affum had not been the subject of a return procedure and did not re-enter French territory in breach of an entry ban), the advocate general concludes that a third-country national such as Affum cannot be imprisoned solely on the basis that she is illegally in the territory of a member state.”
The ECJ will consider the advocate general’s opinion before making a final ruling.
Jayne Adye, director of the Eurosceptic campaign Get Britain Out, called the criticism of French police “ridiculous”.
She said: “This farcical judgment will encourage more people from outside Europe who want to slip into Britain unlawfully.
“They will now know that if they fail to sneak in through one route they can simply disappear and try again through a different route.”
Here are some more highlights from the European parliament debate on the draft EU renegotiation plan.
Marine le Pen, leader of the French Front National, dismissed the renegotiation as “just theatre”. She told MEPs:
I don’t think anyone is being taken in by this masquerade that the Brits can improve what’s happening in the EU and stay in. It simply isn’t going to happen.
Democratic Ulster Party MEP Diane Dodds (who is married to the DUP MP Nigel Dodds) said David Cameron’s negotiations were “little more than a choreographed talks process, a faux battle, a smoke-and-mirrors charade that has resulted in little more than the status quo, a failure by our prime minister to stand up for our United Kingdom”.
German MEP Hans-Olaf Henkel, a member of the Conservatives’ European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European parliament, said that if Britain left, “the EU would slowly but surely demise” and insisted that the reform package was “not only good for the UK but good for Europe”.
And Janice Atkinson, who used to represent Ukip but now sits as an independent, said Cameron had been given “absolutely nothing”. She told MEPs:
It’s Cam sham and Labour will keep the white flag flying along with the Greens and the remaining Lib Dem. The British public knows that this was a Chamberlain moment and so did the British newspapers. Crucially, our borders will remain open to migrants and terrorists. The truth is Cameron got pretty much what he asked for - absolutely nothing.
In the European parliament debate Syed Kamall, leader of the Conservative MEPs, said David Cameron was right to call a referendum on membership of the EU because in the past the EU has ignored the demands of its citizens. He told MEPs:
When I first became a MEP in 2005, it was around the time the French and Dutch voted no in their referenda on the European constitution. As we considered the implications of those “No” votes here in the European parliament, I was shocked by the number of MEPs who simply wanted to ignore the results and push on with further European integration. But perhaps the most shocking moment for me was when the then leader of the EPP [Euopean People’s Party, the conservative group in the European parliament that the UK Conservatives used to belong to until Cameron pulled them out] stood up and said, “Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of the European project. Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of political integration. Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of economic integration.
As a British MEP, this belief in the European project - where the eventual goal was to build a United States of Europe or a Federal Republic of Europe - was news to me. There and then, I realised that there was a massive gap in perception between many in EU institutions who believe in the European project and the people of Britain, many of whom tell me that they believed they voted to stay in a common market.
In the European parliament debate Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, said the plans in the draft EU renegotiation did not secure treaty change, failed to return powers and did not give Britain any control over its borders. “In fact, it was hardly worth the wait. It is really rather pathetic,” he told MEPs.
He also said David Cameron would be forced into a “humiliating” round of Oliver Twist-style begging at the EU summit later this month where he would asked his follow leaders: “Please can we have some more concessions?” Farage went on: “I’m certain of one thing - he won’t get another thing.”
My speech today in the European Parliament earlier: People power will win this referendum for the Leave EU side https://t.co/2jc4ANegna
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) February 3, 2016
Updated
In the European parliament MEPs have been debating the draft EU renegotiation plan. In a speech Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, said the deal was “fair for the UK and fair for the other 27 member states”.
He said that the UK already had more opt-outs and protocols than any other member state.
This is why, as a matter of law and a matter of fact, the concept of ever closer union has already assumed a different meaning in its case. The settlement recognises this. It recognises that if the United Kingdom considered that it is now at the limits of its level of integration then that is fine. At the same time, it makes clear that other member states can move towards a deeper degree of integration as they see fit. In this way, we have addressed the prime minister’s concern, while respecting the treaties.
Juncker also confirmed that the “emergency brake” that would allow the UK to stop paying in-work benefits to EU migrants would only apply in “exceptional cases” and that it would be “limited in time”.
Fox says up to five cabinet ministers certain to back leaving the EU
Liam Fox, the Conservative former defence secretary, was on the Today programme this morning. He is going to vote to leave the EU and he made two significant points.
- Fox says up to five cabinet ministers certain to back leaving the EU. He told the programme:
I think there will be a number of Cabinet ministers with a range of different responsibilities who will want to be in the Leave camp ... I don’t know exactly how many, but I can think of four or five for certain.
Fox is thought to be referring to Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, Theresa Villiers, the Northern Ireland secretary, John Whittingdale, the culture secretary, and Priti Patel, the employment minister (who attends cabinet, but is not a full member.)
- Fox urges Cameron to lift the gag on ministers who want to campaign for Brexit. He said that it was unfair for Cameron to be allowed to speak out in favour of the renegotiation deal while cabinet ministers opposed to it cannot speak out until after the deal is finally agreed at the EU summit concluding on Friday 19 February and then approved at a cabinet meeting shortly after. This is the deal Cameron set out in a letter to ministers last month. Fox said:
The agreement has been that no-one will make the case for or against until there is a final agreement at the European Council. That would be fine if it applies equally to both sides. The danger is always that the rules that apply are seen to be different for one side of the argument than the other.
If the prime minister has already decided that the draft deal is enough for him to campaign, to go out there selling the deal, then it should be for others who don’t agree with that to make their own case. I think the danger of treating the two sides differently is that it will make it more difficult for us to come together after the referendum.
This morning, as David Cameron scans the morning papers, he will know what it’s like to be a Labour leader in a general election campaign.
I’m not sure if he receives a briefing on the morning papers anymore. Presumably he finds out what’s in them by following Nick Sutton and Neil Henderson’s #tomorrowspaperstoday posts on Twitter, like all the rest of us. And it can’t have been much fun watching them come in.
The Daily Mail is furious.
Wednesday's Daily Mail front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
The Great Delusion!#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/RQetqoIzjH
As is the Sun.
Tomorrow's @TheSun #tomorrowspaperstoday #VoteLeave pic.twitter.com/R5yvL4YXQI
— Vote Leave (@vote_leave) February 2, 2016
And even the Metro, whose news coverage is much more neutral than the Mail and the Sun’s, has got a damning headline.
Wednesday's Metro front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
EU are joking#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/PLWPXS3btm
The Daily Express is a diehard Outist paper, and so its headline is no surprise.
Wednesday's Daily Express front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Cameron's EU deal is a joke#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/i4Dn2PTVWw
Amongst the upmarket papers, the headlines are a bit more restrained, but right-leaning papers are still quite negative. Here’s the Times.
Tomorrow's front page: Brussels will have right to reject benefit curbs #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/IWBdRQajvG
— The Times of London (@thetimes) February 2, 2016
The Telegraph focuses on Cameron’s internal party problems.
Wednesday's Telegraph front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Ministers to defy PM on Europe#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/UVIvVUd53q
As does the Financial Times.
Wednesday's FT front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Cameron faces battle to sell EU deal to sceptical ToryMPs#tomorrowspaperstoday #euref pic.twitter.com/GtlSUgWlC7
Still, the i front page is more positive.
Wednesday's i front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Here’s the deal with Europe#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/s1sLJIzZDw
And the Independent has a neutral headline too.
Wednesday's Independent front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Deal or no deal?*
*You decide.#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers#euref pic.twitter.com/UPEMdtOaOh
Still, there’s always the Guardian. Surprisingly, perhaps, we’ve got the most positive headline for Cameron (although he does not escape criticism in our editorial.)
Wednesday's Guardian front page:
— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) February 2, 2016
Cameron wins May’s backing over Europe#tomorrowspaperstoday #BBCPapers pic.twitter.com/cbTLzSSTQ3
My colleague Roy Greenslade has more on what the papers are saying about the draft EU renegotiation published yesterday here.
This afternoon Cameron will take questions on the draft negotiation plan in the Commons. We may get some more information about the technical aspects of the proposal, but what will be most interesting is what Conservative MPs have to say about it. So far Cameron seems to have contained the Tory anti-EU rebellion rather better than some people expected. By 2.30pm we will be in a better position to know whether that remains the case.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10.30am: David Miliband, the former Labour foreign secretary and president of the International Rescue Committee, gives a speech on Syria, ahead of tomorrow’s Syria conference in London.
12pm: David Cameron faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs.
12.30pm: Cameron makes a statement to MPs about the draft EU renegotiation plan.
2pm: Greg Hands, the chief secretary to the Treasury, gives evidence to the Commons Scottish affairs committee about the fiscal framework.
3pm: Cameron holds talks with the Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg in Number 10.
From 12pm until about 2.30/3pm I will be focusing on PMQs and the Cameron statement, but otherwise I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will post a summary before PMQs, and then one after the statement.
If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on@AndrewSparrow.
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