EU referendum
The Curse of Tutancameron’s Europe speech
David Cameron’s Europe speech already had a Tutankhamun-style curse on it before events forced him to postpone it, with the much longer delay from its original date of mid-autumn causing… Continue reading
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David Cameron’s delayed EU speech: extracts
By the time the Prime Minister cancelled his Europe speech yesterday evening, extracts had already been briefed to journalists. A new date has yet to be announced, but here are… Continue reading
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More helpful advice for David Cameron on Europe
By this stage in the run-up to his Europe speech, the Prime Minister must be tempted to sit in a darkened room with his fingers in his ears shouting loudly… Continue reading
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Exclusive: David Cameron meets eurosceptic backbenchers ahead of speech
The Prime Minister met a group of Tory backbenchers in Downing Street this afternoon to discuss Friday’s Europe speech. I have spoken to the group’s ringleader, John Baron, who has… Continue reading
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Fresh Start’s EU powers threat could focus the mind
It is always an understatement to say that David Cameron can’t possibly satisfy his party with his Europe speech this week: the reason being that there is no one unified… Continue reading
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Tory MPs warn Cameron of ‘mañana moment’ for EU speech
Number 10 has got quite the job to do over the next few days if it is to get backbenchers ready for David Cameron’s EU speech on Friday. Tory MPs… Continue reading
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No 10 has intensive work ahead to prevent Tory criticism drowning out Cameron’s EU speech
The date of David Cameron’s Europe speech has been moved yet again. But this time it has been pulled forward, to this Friday. Downing Street realised that they weren’t going… Continue reading
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David Cameron continues with his ‘tantric’ European strategy
David Cameron told journalists before Christmas that he had a ‘tantric’ approach to his European policy speech: that it would be all the better when it eventually came. So today… Continue reading
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Merkel ally’s referendum warning underlines Cameron’s precarious position
The major gamble that David Cameron is taking with his strategy on Europe is, as James explains in this week’s magazine, that he’s relying on signals from Angela Merkel that… Continue reading
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The View from 22 — Britain’s accidental EU exit?
We’re delighted to be back with a bang for the first Spectator podcast of 2013. This week, our political editor James Forsyth discusses David Cameron’s long-delayed speech on Europe with… Continue reading
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What David Cameron plans to say in his Europe speech
David Cameron’s big Europe speech is now less than a fortnight away. It will be, I suspect, the most consequential speech of his premiership. When you look at the challenges… Continue reading
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When will the government confront the EU?
Here is a story that should have got far more attention. A story that perfectly epitomises the corruption and anti-democratic activity of the EU. In 2010 the group NGO Monitor… Continue reading
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Cameron prepares his European argument
If logistics had allowed, David Cameron would have given his long-awaited speech on Europe tomorrow. Instead, it’s been postponed until January and we had to make do with a statement… Continue reading
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Cameron at pains to show Britain was not isolated in EU Budget talks
David Cameron took great pains in his statement to the Commons on the EU budget summit to emphasise the alliances that Britain had formed in trying to keep the budget… Continue reading
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Grant Shapps tells Coffee House: there’ll never be a Tory/UKIP pact
I’ve just spoken to Grant Shapps, who was pretty unequivocal about the chances of the Tories and UKIP teaming up in 2015. ‘No,’ he told me. ‘There will be no… Continue reading
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Michael Fabricant calls for Tory pact with UKIP
Boris Johnson’s surprise rejection of an In/Out referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union last night may have been an attempt to help David Cameron as he prepares to… Continue reading
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Boris Johnson rejects In/Out referendum call
As on many issues, Boris Johnson has made great efforts to position himself on the side of the Tory grassroots on key issues where the parliamentary leadership takes a different… Continue reading
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Iain Duncan Smith: the UK should ‘have it all’
Iain Duncan Smith was strangely vague this morning when Andrew Marr asked him whether he thought Britain could survive outside the European Union. He said: ‘I’m an optimist about the… Continue reading
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The View from 22 — BBC in crisis, a Major problem for the Conservatives and Lost in Europe
What is going to happen next with the BBC Jimmy Salvile saga? In this week’s magazine cover, Rod Liddle blames institutional problems within the organisation and predicts there will be… Continue reading
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David Cameron’s EU dilemma
David Cameron is determined to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership. But to get a good deal and to show his own eurosceptics - let alone UKIP voters -… Continue reading
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