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| David Cameron 'has one chance to strike deal' as he heads into crucial EU summit | David Cameron 'has one chance to strike deal' as he heads into crucial EU summit |
| (7 months later) | |
| David Cameron embarked on the biggest gamble of his premiership on Thursday evening, as he sought to put Britain’s place in Europe on a permanently new footing at an EU summit in Brussels. | David Cameron embarked on the biggest gamble of his premiership on Thursday evening, as he sought to put Britain’s place in Europe on a permanently new footing at an EU summit in Brussels. |
| If he failed to strike an agreement at the meeting of 28 heads of government that was expected to run through the night, he would not be given a second chance, EU leaders warned Britain. | If he failed to strike an agreement at the meeting of 28 heads of government that was expected to run through the night, he would not be given a second chance, EU leaders warned Britain. |
| Speaking at the beginning of the two-day summit, Cameron said it was an opportunity to settle Britain’s troubled relationship with the EU for a generation after claiming the issue had been allowed to “fester for too long”. | Speaking at the beginning of the two-day summit, Cameron said it was an opportunity to settle Britain’s troubled relationship with the EU for a generation after claiming the issue had been allowed to “fester for too long”. |
| He told the national leaders present that the EU should function on the basis of “live and let live”, allowing countries including the UK to remain a full member while standing back from moves towards greater integration, outlining an argument that is expected to continue until the UK referendum widely expected on 23 June. | He told the national leaders present that the EU should function on the basis of “live and let live”, allowing countries including the UK to remain a full member while standing back from moves towards greater integration, outlining an argument that is expected to continue until the UK referendum widely expected on 23 June. |
| The prime minister warned EU leaders that he was prepared to walk away from the summit without a deal on Friday if they failed to give ground on a series of fronts and allow him to present a “credible” set of reforms to the British people. In ill-tempered exchanges, the prime minister told European leaders that they need to match supportive rhetoric in favour of British membership of the EU with action to meet his needs. | The prime minister warned EU leaders that he was prepared to walk away from the summit without a deal on Friday if they failed to give ground on a series of fronts and allow him to present a “credible” set of reforms to the British people. In ill-tempered exchanges, the prime minister told European leaders that they need to match supportive rhetoric in favour of British membership of the EU with action to meet his needs. |
| A No 10 source said: “The going is tough. This could be a long night. Many countries were saying that they want to help and make sure they keep Britain in the EU. But there was not much sign of that. The prime minister left the council in no doubt: we will only reach an agreement if it meets our requirements. If we can’t we are not going to get an agreement at this summit.” | A No 10 source said: “The going is tough. This could be a long night. Many countries were saying that they want to help and make sure they keep Britain in the EU. But there was not much sign of that. The prime minister left the council in no doubt: we will only reach an agreement if it meets our requirements. If we can’t we are not going to get an agreement at this summit.” |
| Issues to be resolved involved immigration and welfare curbs – in particular the details of how Cameron’s proposed “emergency brake” of a four-year cap on benefits for new EU migrants would work – as well as the relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe on financial regulation. | Issues to be resolved involved immigration and welfare curbs – in particular the details of how Cameron’s proposed “emergency brake” of a four-year cap on benefits for new EU migrants would work – as well as the relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe on financial regulation. |
| Cameron antagonised the east Europeans on Thursday night by demanding a 13-year period in which Britain would be allowed to freeze in-work benefits for EU migrants in the UK for four years. This is highly unlikely to be accepted. | Cameron antagonised the east Europeans on Thursday night by demanding a 13-year period in which Britain would be allowed to freeze in-work benefits for EU migrants in the UK for four years. This is highly unlikely to be accepted. |
| Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, was unqualified in supporting Cameron’s pitch for a new settlement as she arrived at the summit but President François Hollande of France said that Cameron was being offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal. | Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, was unqualified in supporting Cameron’s pitch for a new settlement as she arrived at the summit but President François Hollande of France said that Cameron was being offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal. |
| “We want to create the conditions for Britain to remain in the EU,” said Merkel who views the the British issue as a distraction from her much more pressing dilemmas over mass immigration in Germany and Europe. | “We want to create the conditions for Britain to remain in the EU,” said Merkel who views the the British issue as a distraction from her much more pressing dilemmas over mass immigration in Germany and Europe. |
| Hollande was much more equivocal . “It’s the European Union being put into question, not merely a country within the European Union,” he said. | Hollande was much more equivocal . “It’s the European Union being put into question, not merely a country within the European Union,” he said. |
| “Above all I want the European Union to go forward, become stronger. No one, not a head of government or state may hinder that. Let’s allow Great Britain to remain in the European Union but based on the fundamental principles. | “Above all I want the European Union to go forward, become stronger. No one, not a head of government or state may hinder that. Let’s allow Great Britain to remain in the European Union but based on the fundamental principles. |
| “Otherwise, other nations will demand other exceptions. Countries may ask other amended rules of their own. Therefore when we’re speaking with Great Britain, we have to think of all the other (member) countries.” | “Otherwise, other nations will demand other exceptions. Countries may ask other amended rules of their own. Therefore when we’re speaking with Great Britain, we have to think of all the other (member) countries.” |
| While the prospect of Britain quitting the EU weighed heavily on the crucial summit, there was also growing impatience in Berlin, Paris and elsewhere that the British question had to be answered conclusively in talks that were expected to run into Friday morning and possibly beyond. | While the prospect of Britain quitting the EU weighed heavily on the crucial summit, there was also growing impatience in Berlin, Paris and elsewhere that the British question had to be answered conclusively in talks that were expected to run into Friday morning and possibly beyond. |
| A failure to reach a deal would mean that EU leaders would probably reconvene within the next 10 days to ensure a referendum can be held by 23 June. But No 10 may be seeking to portray the prime minister as isolated and battling for Britain to allow him to hail a deal on Friday as a historic victory. | A failure to reach a deal would mean that EU leaders would probably reconvene within the next 10 days to ensure a referendum can be held by 23 June. But No 10 may be seeking to portray the prime minister as isolated and battling for Britain to allow him to hail a deal on Friday as a historic victory. |
| If a deal is secured he will fly back to London after a Brussels press conference to chair a cabinet meeting at which he will say the government will formally endorse the deal. But such a meeting would also lead to the suspension of collective cabinet responsibility, allowing at least five cabinet ministers to campaign for a no vote. The key players would be Boris Johnson, a member of the political cabinet, and Michael Gove, who have both signalled that they are conflicted on the issue. | If a deal is secured he will fly back to London after a Brussels press conference to chair a cabinet meeting at which he will say the government will formally endorse the deal. But such a meeting would also lead to the suspension of collective cabinet responsibility, allowing at least five cabinet ministers to campaign for a no vote. The key players would be Boris Johnson, a member of the political cabinet, and Michael Gove, who have both signalled that they are conflicted on the issue. |
| Hollande’s statement that Britain could not be allowed to create a precedent encouraging others to plead for special changes reflected a Franco-Belgian gambit defining the referendum as the UK’s last chance to settle its European destiny. | Hollande’s statement that Britain could not be allowed to create a precedent encouraging others to plead for special changes reflected a Franco-Belgian gambit defining the referendum as the UK’s last chance to settle its European destiny. |
| Cameron signalled his support for the idea, although it was unclear whether such a formula would be adopted by the summit. British officials said they were interested in the proposal, drawn up by the Belgians and supported by the French, that would make clear that Britain could not seek to further renegotiate the terms of its EU membership if the UK were to vote to leave in the referendum. | Cameron signalled his support for the idea, although it was unclear whether such a formula would be adopted by the summit. British officials said they were interested in the proposal, drawn up by the Belgians and supported by the French, that would make clear that Britain could not seek to further renegotiate the terms of its EU membership if the UK were to vote to leave in the referendum. |
| The proposal would kill off a plan by Vote Leave’s campaign director, Dominic Cummings, arguing that a second referendum could be held after two years of severance negotiations if the UK were to vote to leave. | The proposal would kill off a plan by Vote Leave’s campaign director, Dominic Cummings, arguing that a second referendum could be held after two years of severance negotiations if the UK were to vote to leave. |
| There will be suspicions that the UK has at the very least nudged Belgium, the country keenest to forge a federal Europe and no friend of Britain in the negotiations, to make clear that the vote will be final and definitive, a message the Better Together camp sought to promote during the Scottish independence referendum. | There will be suspicions that the UK has at the very least nudged Belgium, the country keenest to forge a federal Europe and no friend of Britain in the negotiations, to make clear that the vote will be final and definitive, a message the Better Together camp sought to promote during the Scottish independence referendum. |
| The prime minister told fellow leaders: “The question of Britain’s place in Europe has been allowed to fester for too long. It is time to deal with it. If we can reach agreement here that is strong enough to persuade the British people to support the UK in membership of the EU, then we have an opportunity to settle this issue for a generation. | The prime minister told fellow leaders: “The question of Britain’s place in Europe has been allowed to fester for too long. It is time to deal with it. If we can reach agreement here that is strong enough to persuade the British people to support the UK in membership of the EU, then we have an opportunity to settle this issue for a generation. |
| “It is an opportunity to move to a fundamentally different approach to our relationship with the EU, what some might call a ‘live and let live’, reflecting that those states who wish to integrate further can do so while those of us that don’t can be reassured that their interests will be protected and will not need to fight these at every turn on a case-by-case event-by-event issue.” | “It is an opportunity to move to a fundamentally different approach to our relationship with the EU, what some might call a ‘live and let live’, reflecting that those states who wish to integrate further can do so while those of us that don’t can be reassured that their interests will be protected and will not need to fight these at every turn on a case-by-case event-by-event issue.” |
| The prize of a successful outcome to the summit was a big one, Cameron said. But the package agreed had to be credible for the British, meaning that progress has to be made in the areas that are causing difficulty. They are the need for: | The prize of a successful outcome to the summit was a big one, Cameron said. But the package agreed had to be credible for the British, meaning that progress has to be made in the areas that are causing difficulty. They are the need for: |
| • Treaty change to underpin new protections for non-eurozone members in the single market. France is deeply concerned that the UK is seeking to carve out special protections for the City of London and seeking to freeze rules governing the financial sector, effectively hobbling the eurozone’s freedom of manoeuvre. EU sources said Hollande would go on the attack over financial regulation, while Mario Draghi, the powerful head of the European Central Bank responsible for the euro, was expected to try to broker a compromise. | • Treaty change to underpin new protections for non-eurozone members in the single market. France is deeply concerned that the UK is seeking to carve out special protections for the City of London and seeking to freeze rules governing the financial sector, effectively hobbling the eurozone’s freedom of manoeuvre. EU sources said Hollande would go on the attack over financial regulation, while Mario Draghi, the powerful head of the European Central Bank responsible for the euro, was expected to try to broker a compromise. |
| • Treaty change to make clear that the UK is exempted from the EU’s founding declaration to forge an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe. Britain’s opt-out from future political integration will be granted but several countries remain reluctant to change the treaty. | • Treaty change to make clear that the UK is exempted from the EU’s founding declaration to forge an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe. Britain’s opt-out from future political integration will be granted but several countries remain reluctant to change the treaty. |
| • Agreement on the length of an emergency brake that can be imposed to restrict in-work benefits for EU migrants in Britain for up to four years. Britain accepts that this is unlikely to last for more than three years and will be phased out after the first year. This is essentially agreed, apart from the timeframes, but is complicated by a bigger argument over welfare curbs. | • Agreement on the length of an emergency brake that can be imposed to restrict in-work benefits for EU migrants in Britain for up to four years. Britain accepts that this is unlikely to last for more than three years and will be phased out after the first year. This is essentially agreed, apart from the timeframes, but is complicated by a bigger argument over welfare curbs. |
| • This concerns clarification on the “applicability” of changes to child benefit paid to EU immigrant workers who leave their offspring at home. Poland in particular insists that these new rules can only apply to new cases and should only apply to Britain. The prime minister, who had hoped to ban all EU migrants from claiming child benefit, has now accepted that it will be paid at a rate linked to the cost of living in their home country, insists that the cuts are applied to EU migrants currently receiving the benefits. | • This concerns clarification on the “applicability” of changes to child benefit paid to EU immigrant workers who leave their offspring at home. Poland in particular insists that these new rules can only apply to new cases and should only apply to Britain. The prime minister, who had hoped to ban all EU migrants from claiming child benefit, has now accepted that it will be paid at a rate linked to the cost of living in their home country, insists that the cuts are applied to EU migrants currently receiving the benefits. |
| The Polish government had threatened to veto the entire package if the child benefits cuts were made “retroactive” and applied across the EU. But legally the new rules have to be EU-wide. | The Polish government had threatened to veto the entire package if the child benefits cuts were made “retroactive” and applied across the EU. But legally the new rules have to be EU-wide. |
| “You can’t have a Lex Britannica,” said a senior EU source. Under a proposed compromise, the other countries will be given an “option” to apply the new rules which they will then decline. Whether that is sufficiently watertight for the Poles remained unclear. | “You can’t have a Lex Britannica,” said a senior EU source. Under a proposed compromise, the other countries will be given an “option” to apply the new rules which they will then decline. Whether that is sufficiently watertight for the Poles remained unclear. |
| The prime minister issued his plea to EU leaders after saying that he was “battling for Britain” as he arrived in Brussels. | The prime minister issued his plea to EU leaders after saying that he was “battling for Britain” as he arrived in Brussels. |
| “I’ll be battling for Britain. If we can get a good deal I’ll take that deal,” he said. “But I will not take a deal that doesn’t meet what we need. I think it’s much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush. But with goodwill, with hard work, we can get a better deal for Britain.” | “I’ll be battling for Britain. If we can get a good deal I’ll take that deal,” he said. “But I will not take a deal that doesn’t meet what we need. I think it’s much more important to get this right than to do anything in a rush. But with goodwill, with hard work, we can get a better deal for Britain.” |
| Chairing the summit, the European council’s president, Donald Tusk, said all sides were still in the middle of “very difficult and sensitive negotiations” adding: “One thing is clear to me: this is a make-or-break summit.” | Chairing the summit, the European council’s president, Donald Tusk, said all sides were still in the middle of “very difficult and sensitive negotiations” adding: “One thing is clear to me: this is a make-or-break summit.” |