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| The chances of Britain leaving the E.U. may have just gone up | The chances of Britain leaving the E.U. may have just gone up |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Tuesday that he will allow his cabinet ministers to campaign for or against Britain remaining in the European Union. | LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Tuesday that he will allow his cabinet ministers to campaign for or against Britain remaining in the European Union. |
| Cameron is currently negotiating reforms to Britain’s relationship with the E.U. ahead of an in-out referendum he said will take place before the end of 2017. If he gets those reforms, Cameron has said he will back staying in the E.U., but he has not ruled out campaigning to leave if he does not get the concessions he wants. | Cameron is currently negotiating reforms to Britain’s relationship with the E.U. ahead of an in-out referendum he said will take place before the end of 2017. If he gets those reforms, Cameron has said he will back staying in the E.U., but he has not ruled out campaigning to leave if he does not get the concessions he wants. |
| Cameron told the House of Commons that at the end of those negotiations, “there will be a clear government position, but it will be open to individual ministers to take a different personal position while remaining part of the government.” | Cameron told the House of Commons that at the end of those negotiations, “there will be a clear government position, but it will be open to individual ministers to take a different personal position while remaining part of the government.” |
| It was a big call for Cameron. Europe is a hugely divisive issue within his Conservative Party and has been for years. By allowing a free vote, Cameron, a leader known for his pragmatism, is avoiding possible resignations from senior members on his core team, some of whom are thought to favor leaving the E.U. — a position dubbed “Brexit.” | It was a big call for Cameron. Europe is a hugely divisive issue within his Conservative Party and has been for years. By allowing a free vote, Cameron, a leader known for his pragmatism, is avoiding possible resignations from senior members on his core team, some of whom are thought to favor leaving the E.U. — a position dubbed “Brexit.” |
| [A British exit could trigger Europe’s unraveling] | |
| The stakes are also high for Cameron personally. Analysts say he would come under pressure to resign if he campaigns to stay in the E.U. — as is widely expected — but the majority of Britons vote to leave. Polls show that those for and against a “Brexit” are neck and neck. | |
| Those wanting to leave the E.U. have cheered the decision. | Those wanting to leave the E.U. have cheered the decision. |
| “I do applaud it,” Michael Fabricant, a Conservative Party politician and Euro-skeptic, told the BBC. “It would have been far more bloody, and far more damaging had he not allowed a free vote.” | “I do applaud it,” Michael Fabricant, a Conservative Party politician and Euro-skeptic, told the BBC. “It would have been far more bloody, and far more damaging had he not allowed a free vote.” |
| But it also sets up the awkward scenario of top government ministers campaigning against each other on this vital vote that many analysts believe will happen sometime this summer. | But it also sets up the awkward scenario of top government ministers campaigning against each other on this vital vote that many analysts believe will happen sometime this summer. |
| John Major, a former Conservative prime minister, has warned against a free vote, saying that government should instead retain collective responsibility for the decision. | John Major, a former Conservative prime minister, has warned against a free vote, saying that government should instead retain collective responsibility for the decision. |
| [Britain goes its own way on refugees] | |
| Some commentators have said that Cameron had little choice if he wanted to avoid high-profile resignations or damaging cabinet unity on other issues. But there is also speculation that his decision could create further divisions within the party and increase the odds of the United Kingdom cutting its ties with the E.U. | Some commentators have said that Cameron had little choice if he wanted to avoid high-profile resignations or damaging cabinet unity on other issues. But there is also speculation that his decision could create further divisions within the party and increase the odds of the United Kingdom cutting its ties with the E.U. |
| “It will make it more likely that Britons will vote to leave the E.U., all other things being equal,” said Tony Travers, a political expert at the London School of Economics. “But the issue is so toxic for the Conservative Party that, from Cameron’s point of view, this is the least worst way forward.” | “It will make it more likely that Britons will vote to leave the E.U., all other things being equal,” said Tony Travers, a political expert at the London School of Economics. “But the issue is so toxic for the Conservative Party that, from Cameron’s point of view, this is the least worst way forward.” |
| If Britain votes to leave the E.U., it would be the first time a country has elected to leave the bloc. | If Britain votes to leave the E.U., it would be the first time a country has elected to leave the bloc. |