EU referendum
EU shopping list tips from Ben Goldsmith, Bill Cash, Nancy Dell’Olio and Matthew Elliott
Ben Goldsmith, Partner at WHEB Partners and signatory to Business for Britain In the private sector, every business must provide regular and accurate accounts. Yet when you try to look into… Continue reading
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What does Cameron actually want back from Brussels?
If you ask what’s the problem with David Cameron’s European strategy, a cacophony of voices strike up. But it seems to me that most of their complaints are tactical when… Continue reading
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The Tory Blame Game
Who is to blame for last night’s Tory uprising on Europe? It’s more entertaining to pin the blame on everyone, rather than one person, and in this case, it’s wrong… Continue reading
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Refusing to bang on about Europe has brought about even more banging on than before
The BBC loves nothing better than a narrative in which Tory anti-European eccentrics split their party, and a bewildered public votes Labour. It is certainly the case that some of… Continue reading
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130 MPs support Queen’s Speech amendment on EU referendum
So 130 MPs have backed the Baron/Bone amendment to the Queen’s Speech. There will be Labour and other parties in this group, but reasonable estimates suggest that 100 Tories went… Continue reading
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Cameron says he’s relaxed about tonight’s Queen’s Speech vote. But is he?
MPs are storming their way through the Queen’s Speech debate this afternoon, with a vote on that troublesome EU referendum bill amendment expected around 7pm. But for all their talk… Continue reading
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David Cameron is right to be relaxed about tonight’s EU vote
It simply isn’t correct to claim that the Conservative Party is at odds over a possible vote on legislation paving the way for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the… Continue reading
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Forget the nasty party: this is the Angry Party
Even those who like to specialise in the inner workings of the mind of a Tory backbencher are rather baffled by the twists and turns of the party this week.… Continue reading
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Will the draft EU referendum bill calm Tory tensions?
The last few days have seen the Tory party losing its collective head. Number 10 hopes that the publication of a draft referendum bill will begin to restore order. If… Continue reading
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Not all eurosceptics are asking for more from the leadership
The Tory MPs who are unhappy with Number 10′s offer of a draft EU referendum bill have been making the most noise this morning, but there have been some interesting… Continue reading
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Tory EU turmoil allows Labour and Lib Dems to develop strong message discipline
The dizzy behaviour of the Tory party on Europe is allowing its opponents to develop an incredibly strong message discipline. This is ironic because the Labour party has its own… Continue reading
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Tory leadership publishes draft EU referendum bill in a panic, and fails to convince backbenchers
David Cameron was trying to work out how on earth to deal with the latest Europe row in his party. He heard them demanding legislation in this parliament for a… Continue reading
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Obama warns Britain that leaving the EU would be an isolationist step
President Obama took care this afternoon when asked about an EU referendum to give as nuanced an answer as possible. He emphasised repeatedly that this was a matter for the… Continue reading
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David Cameron needs to become a man with a plan
‘I’m a man with a plan,’ David Cameron told the Conservative party conference in 2008. Now the Prime Minister is struggling to give the impression he does have a plan… Continue reading
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Philip Hammond becomes 2nd Cabinet minister to say he would vote to leave EU today
If the Tory leadership had hoped that a few weeks of reconciliation between David Cameron and his backbenchers would lead to a new, serene phase in party management, they couldn’t… Continue reading
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EU referendum amendment is just first step in long battle
As expected, the backbench Tory campaign for an EU referendum bill started as soon as the Queen’s Speech proved not to contain one. The first battle is over an amendment… Continue reading
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The euro-elite responds to Nigel Lawson’s ‘dinosaur argument’
I’ve just come from a briefing with a European Union official. He was asked whether Lord Lawson’s call for Britain to leave the EU was a ‘dinosaur argument.’ In response, the… Continue reading
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Maggie Maggie Maggie, wanted out out out
To Chelsea to hear Charles Moore lift the lid on his Thatcher biography. While the crowd at the Cadogan Hall loved the anecdotes and insight, it was Moore’s revelation that,… Continue reading
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Lord Lawson is wrong that change in the EU is impossible
In its present form, the EU serves British interests very poorly. The time has come for us to finally take matters into our own hands. But I don’t agree with… Continue reading
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Why David Cameron can’t copy Harold Wilson on EU renegotiation
It’s at times like this I’m glad I’m not a Europhile. I imagine that Lord Lawson’s article in today’s Times is causing Brussels-lovers up and down the land a number… Continue reading
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