PM launches Project Fear
DAVID Cameron last night waited only minutes after securing his deal to launch what eurosceptics have dubbed as ‘project fear’, warning that quitting the EU would be a ‘leap in the dark’ that could harm national security.
His deal – secured after 30 hours of painful talks – was immediately denounced as ‘hollow’ by the Out campaign.
Defending his watered down deal, Mr Cameron said last night: ‘Within the last hour I’ve negotiated a deal to give the United Kingdom special status inside the European Union.
‘Britain will be permanently out of ever closer union, never part of a European super-state, there will be tough new restriction for access to our welfare system for migrants, no more something for nothing ... We have secured vital protections for our economy and a full say over the rules of the free-trade single market, while staying outside the Euro.
‘I believe this is enough for me to recommend that the United Kingdom remain in the European Union having the best of both worlds.’
But the eurosceptic backlash began in earnest last night.
Tom Pursglove, a eurosceptic Tory MP, told BBC2’s Newsnight: ‘I was willing to give the renegotiation a chance, but the fact is that this does not deal with uncontrolled migration from Europe, and will not allow us to trade globally.’
Mr Pursglove, the MP for Corby, rejected Mr Cameron’s claim that EU membership made us safer, saying: ‘We would still be a member of NATO and the United Nations.’ The
‘Compromise on a compromise’
deal was announced after 30 hours of chaos in Brussels amid a fierce row over the payment of state handouts to Eastern European migrants.
The Prime Minister’s carefully choreographed plan to declare success yesterday was derailed by a furious clash over whether restrictions on the payment on child benefit and tax credits should apply across the EU.
Originally, the new regime – itself a watered-down compromise on two key Tory manifesto pledges – would have applied only in the UK.
Once it became clear the Germans and other countries would seek to apply the new rules, Poland sought to water them down. This led to Mr Cameron climbing down and agreeing the changes would not be introduced until 2020.
Amid scenes of farce, plans for a ‘British breakfast’ to conclude the deal slipped repeatedly – eventually becoming plans for an ‘English dinner’ taking place in the evening.
The stalemate threw the Prime Minister’s timetable for the weekend off course. He had planned to fly back to London to hold a Cabinet meeting yesterday afternoon with a deal in his pocket, but scrapped that when it became apparent that talks were dragging on.
No 10 also had to shelve plans for him to appear outside Downing Street to hail an agreement in the evening – and announce that Britain’s historic referendum would take place on June 23. That press conference will now take place today. In discussions on Thursday evening, Mr Cameron had pleaded with his fellow leaders to give him a deal – saying it would be ‘suicide’ not to hand him a ‘credible’ package of proposals that he could put to his Cabinet.
The Prime Minister told EU leaders that his package of proposed measures had been ‘badly received’ at home and cannot be ‘watered down any further’. According to EU sources, he said: ‘I am not asking for anything new or something impossible. This is already a compromise on a compromise’
But he was unable to secure an agreement as talks dragged on until 5.30am yesterday. After three hours sleep, Mr Cameron returned to the summit but was unable to break the deadlock until 10pm last night - 12 hours later than envisaged.
Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite said the deal was political ‘face saving’ for Mr Cameron. Meanwhile Tory MEP and leading out campaigner Daniel Hannan said: ‘Other EU leaders are openly laughing at the idea that the changes are other than cosmetic.’
Eurosceptic Labour MP Frank Field said, on the basis of the deal, he will be campaigning to leave. ‘The Government has failed to secure the key renegotiation requirement, namely, that we should regain control of our borders,’ he said.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage said Mr Cameron had been doing an impression of Oliver Twist during the negotiations, begging other leaders for concessions.
‘Dave’s deal is not worth the paper that it’s written on,’ he said.
Owen Paterson, a Tory MP and former cabinet minister, has dismissed the EU talks as ‘a sideshow and a pantomime’.
Ex-Tory leadership contender David Davis added: ‘This whole renegotiation process has highlighted the EU’s undemocratic arrogance. It shows the utter disregard Brussels has for member states. It is the perfect example of how Britain is ruled by the EU.’
Tory MP Adam Afriyie said that other EU leaders were ‘looking at Britain, almost sniggering at us, saying “oh, let’s give them a few little morsels so they’ll go away happy like children”.’