Is Cameron trying to drag the Queen into his battle with EU?
DAVID Cameron will risk accusations that he is dragging the Queen into his bid to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership when he joins her on a state visit to Germany.
Prime Ministers do not routinely attend state visits, but Buckingham Palace has confirmed Mr Cameron will be joining Her Majesty for a banquet in Berlin later this month.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who is also closely involved with the EU negotiations, is expected to accompany the Queen throughout the three-day trip.
The visit comes at a sensitive time for Mr Cameron’s negotiations on Britain’s future in Europe. The banquet will provide the Prime Minister with a final opportunity for discussions with German leader Angela Merkel before he formally tables his demands for the first time at an EU summit in Brussels the next day.
Downing Street last night dismissed sug-
‘It’s not the British way of doing things’
gestions Mr Cameron was attempting to use the visit for political ends.
A No 10 source said: ‘He was invited to go by the Germans and could hardly refuse. This will be a big, formal state occasion, not the sort of occasion where you are going to be negotiating.
‘In any case, he has already held discussions on renegotiation with Angela Merkel i n Berlin and will be seeing her again in Brussels the following day.’ But Labour MP John Mann described Mr Cameron’s decision to attend the banquet as ‘tacky’, and warned it could backfire if he is seen to be attempting to use the event for political capital.
‘It doesn’t look great to be trying to negotiate in the background of a state visit – it’s not what these things are for,’ Mr Mann said. ‘It’s just not the British way of doing things, it’s a bit tacky to be honest. It also might backfire. I think the Germans might see it as a bit desperate and a sign of weakness. He should be arranging his own meetings not piggybacking on HM.
‘I guess the idea is that he will bask in her reflected glory. But that’s the point – she’s popular there and he isn’t, and I think people will see straight through it.’
The Queen is due to make her fourth state visit to Germany at the end of this month. The itinerary will include her first ever visit to a Nazi concentration camp.
The trip i s one of the most eagerly-awaited events of the year in Germany, where the Queen is held in exceptionally high regard.
The country’s media is devoting more resources to provide wall-towall coverage of the visit than they did for the London Olympics.
Mrs Merkel is likely to hold the key to Mr Cameron’s hopes of suc- cess in his bid to secure a better deal for Britain in Europe ahead of a planned In/Out referendum.
His demands include imposing a four-year ban on migrants claiming benefits and tax credits in Britain, and a UK opt- out from the EU’s founding principle of ‘evercloser union’.
In recent days Mr Cameron has been rebuffed by the leaders of Spain, Belgium, Romania and Finland. The Polish prime minister also voiced concerns about his agenda following talks in Warsaw earlier this month.
But Mrs Merkel, who is keen to keep Britain in the EU, has been more sympathetic. Given Germany’s weight within Europe, her stance could prove decisive if Mr Cameron can convince her that his reforms are necessary to persuade the British public to vote to remain within the union.