European Union
Europe Minister’s PPS quits over referendum vote
Adam Holloway, PPS to the Europe Minister David Lidington, has just effectively quit his job by giving a speech setting out his intention to vote for the motion. That the… Continue reading
34 CommentsAnother voice: Why Cameron had no choice but to fight
Fraser performed a valuable service to the MPs currently debating a motion proposing a referendum on membership of the European Union by imagining what he thought David Cameron ought to… Continue reading
19 CommentsCameron’s warm up act
David Cameron’s statement on the European Council served as the warm up act for this afternoon’s debate on the EU referendum motion. Cameron attempted to show his backbenchers that he… Continue reading
13 CommentsWhipping up a storm
It looks like about a third of Tory backbenchers will rebel in tonight’s vote on an EU referendum. 18 months into government, this is a massive rebellion and one that… Continue reading
18 CommentsDave’s EU opportunity
Lucky David Cameron. His chance to repatriate powers from the EU will come sooner than he thought. Now the latest EU summit is over, it looks as if there will… Continue reading
41 CommentsYour scorecard for today’s EU referendum vote
I hope you adjusted your calendars accordingly, CoffeeHousers. The parliamentary debate and vote on an EU referendum starts at 1600 today — and what morbid fun it promises to be… Continue reading
49 CommentsTory Wars, redux
Even after reading Jonathan’s post, I struggle to see the strategy in David Cameron’s position with his party over Europe. The motion is non-binding, and Miliband has three-line-whipped his party… Continue reading
41 CommentsCameron’s strategy is better than it looks
The number of Tory MPs set to defy the government in the vote on an EU referndum tomorrow now stands at around 90, and numerous backbenchers – including John Redwood and David… Continue reading
53 CommentsLiddington: EU vote should follow a new treaty
David Liddington, the Europe Minister, has just told the Murnaghan Show that the moment for a referendum on the European Union is once a treaty change has been agreed. Liddington… Continue reading
29 CommentsMore fuel for the EU rebellion
Today’s Daily Express poll will add to the sense of momentum that the Tory rebels are feeling ahead of Monday’s vote. The fact that 81 per cent of Tory voters… Continue reading
33 CommentsCameron unmoved by the Eustice amendment
Sources in Number 10 tell me that the party leaderships feels it cannot support the Eustice amendment. They stress that it is not Conservative party policy. But I also detect… Continue reading
55 CommentsCameron needs an amendment – and fast
A third of Tory backbenchers have now signed the EU referendum motion. Worryingly for the whips, this isn’t the limit to this motion’s appeal. There are several Tories who plan… Continue reading
47 CommentsCameron starts playing catch-up over the EU referendum vote
Adjust your calendars, CoffeeHousers. The parliamentary vote on an EU referendum is no longer set for next Thursday. As the Mail’s James Chapman revealed this evening, Downing Street has moved… Continue reading
48 CommentsThe government’s never-ending European problem
We thought CoffeeHousers might appreciate an advanced viewing of James’ political column from tomorrow’s issue of The Spectator, so here it is: In the hours after the coalition was formed… Continue reading
22 CommentsEurope bubbles to the surface in PMQs
A particularly fractious PMQs today. Ed Miliband started by asking questions about Liam Fox which, frankly, seemed rather out of date given that Fox has already resigned. Cameron swatted them… Continue reading
19 CommentsA counterweight to France-German power
It was only a matter of time before the Franco-German drive to reshape Europe’s "economic governance" met with a counter-proposal. In international politics, a powerful state or group of states… Continue reading
18 CommentsGetting over excited
As Peter Oborne observed on Newsnight recently, there is a tendency in the Eurozone to think its problems are political, rather than an economic crisis that cannot be wished away. For example, the Bundestag’s much vaunted… Continue reading
14 CommentsCameron’s perfect Europe row
The European Commission has just given David Cameron the perfect chance to stand up to Brussels. Its attempt to make Britain pay benefits in full to any citizen of an… Continue reading
33 CommentsTories pray for no more from Europe
Tory strategists had hoped to keep Europe off the agenda at this year’s party conference, but they seem to have failed already. The European Commission’s threat about welfare claims has forced… Continue reading
28 CommentsNew blow to European integration
A spectacular row has broken out in Europe. Bulgaria and Romania have been denied access to the Schengen area after Finland and the Netherlands vetoed their inclusion. The Romanians pre-empted… Continue reading
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