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EU deal: Cameron takes Brussels plan to cabinet as Gove leans towards Brexit – live
EU deal: Cameron takes Brussels plan to cabinet as Gove leans towards Brexit – live
(35 minutes later)
10.02am GMT
10:02
Here’s a wrap, from our team in Brussels and London, of events over the past 48 hours and that happens next.
David Cameron is expected to call his referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU after a meeting with cabinet ministers on Saturday morning, following days of negotiation with European leaders on the UK’s status in the organisation.
After securing a deal with 27 other EU leaders to change Britain’s relationship with Brussels, the prime minister is likely to name the date for an in/out vote as 23 June, allowing less than four months for campaigning.
The emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday morning will end collective responsibility that forces ministers to back Cameron’s negotiating strategy, meaning those who want to leave will soon be free to start making their cases for Brexit.
9.59am GMT
09:59
Here’s a recap of what David Cameron wanted to get in Brussels... and what he got:
Related: David Cameron's EU deal: what he wanted and what he got
9.58am GMT
09:58
The inclusion of Michael Gove in the ‘Leave’ campaign will give it some intellectual credibility, according to the SNP MP and former Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond.
He told the BBC in the last few minutes that Gove will give Brexiteers some weight, even if he wasn’t a populist or charismatic politician, and contrasted him with what he felt might be a negative impact from George Galloway.
Salmond was also eager to keep up pressure on David Cameron however, accusing him of obsessing, as a result of internal Tory divisions, over “minutiae” such as the question of benefits which EU migrants could draw in the UK.
What really mattered in the debate, he said, were issues like free trade and European peace and security, adding:
It will require a considerable gear change from the Prime Minister and it remains to be seen whether he is up for speaking about the big issues rather than concentrating on the marginal ones.
He also sounded a warning about pitfalls which might be in store for the ‘Stay in the EU’ campaign however, saying:
If both sides engaged in the negativity we have seen so far then I think there is a real danger that the ‘leave’ campaign will get some additional traction.
9.47am GMT
09:47
George Galloway’s suprise appearance at last night’s Grassroots Out rally in London, which caused a walkout by some of those in the crowd, continues to cause ripples in pro-Brexit circles.
However, here’s the Ukip MP Douglas Carswell -- not always a happy camper alongside others campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, and that’s perhaps an understatement -- borrowing from some 1994 Galloway comments to Saddam Hussein.
.@conorburns_mp yay! Conor declares for @vote_leave - you are a hero, and I salute your courage and indefatigability
The Conservative MP he’s corresponding with, Conor Burns, tweeted last night:
There are honourable, principled and positive reasons to want to leave the EU. George Galloway represents absolutely none of them.
Updated
at 9.48am GMT
9.30am GMT
09:30
Oliver Letwin, who was a noted eurosceptic in the past but is now a key player behind Cameron’s strategy, has told Sky News that he will be voting for the UK to remain in the EU.
Hardly a shock, but worth noting (and it least shows that sometimes reporters get an answer to a shouted question in the street).
Updated
at 9.31am GMT
9.29am GMT
9.29am GMT
09:29
09:29
The cabinet meeting has been set for 10am. One particular figure of interest is the Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, who is expected to come out afterwards as a supporter of a vote for the UK to leave the EU
The cabinet meeting has been set for 10am. One particular figure of interest is the Justice Secretary, Michael Gove, who is expected to come out afterwards as a supporter of a vote for the UK to leave the EU
Speaking in Brussels on Friday night, David Cameron sought to make light of Gove’s imminent decision to campaign to leave the European Union, saying he is “disappointed but ... not surprised”.
Speaking in Brussels on Friday night, David Cameron sought to make light of Gove’s imminent decision to campaign to leave the European Union, saying he is “disappointed but ... not surprised”.
During a press conference after striking a deal at the Brussels summit, Cameron said:
During a press conference after striking a deal at the Brussels summit, Cameron said:
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
“So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future. I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
“So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future. I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg tweets:
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg tweets:
Fwiw I'm told Gove decided to choose Out more than 2 wks ago, and told PM at that point, altho yday, no 10 says he still hadn't told him
Fwiw I'm told Gove decided to choose Out more than 2 wks ago, and told PM at that point, altho yday, no 10 says he still hadn't told him
9.25am GMT
9.25am GMT
09:25
09:25
There are slightly more cameras than usual at Downing Street than other Saturday mornings.
There are slightly more cameras than usual at Downing Street than other Saturday mornings.
Press wait at Downing Street for the first cabinet meeting on a Saturday since the Falklands War @RTUKnews @Ruptly pic.twitter.com/6ENTidPkfA
Press wait at Downing Street for the first cabinet meeting on a Saturday since the Falklands War @RTUKnews @Ruptly pic.twitter.com/6ENTidPkfA
9.24am GMT
9.24am GMT
09:24
09:24
Ministers have been arriving at Downing Street for what will be the first cabinet meeting to be held on a Saturday since the Falklands War.
Ministers have been arriving at Downing Street for what will be the first cabinet meeting to be held on a Saturday since the Falklands War.
Osborne is already there, as are a number of others, for what will effectively be the starting gun in the campaign for the Prime Minister’s referendu.
Osborne is already there, as are a number of others, for what will effectively be the starting gun in the campaign for the Prime Minister’s referendu.
We’ll hear a little later what date has been set for the EU referendum - although even the dogs in the street will tell you that the most likely one is June 23.
We’ll hear a little later what date has been set for the EU referendum - although even the dogs in the street will tell you that the most likely one is June 23.
9.16am GMT
9.16am GMT
09:16
09:16
George Osborne was also challenged to convince Boris Johnson - who has yet to announce publicly on which side of the EU referendum he will come down on.
George Osborne was also challenged to convince Boris Johnson - who has yet to announce publicly on which side of the EU referendum he will come down on.
He didn’t sound entirely optimistic that Johnson was going to line up beside him and David Cameron though.
He didn’t sound entirely optimistic that Johnson was going to line up beside him and David Cameron though.
Boris will make his own decision. The great thing is that Boris and I each have one vote and there are millions of people listening who can make their own decisions and they have an equal vote too.
Boris will make his own decision. The great thing is that Boris and I each have one vote and there are millions of people listening who can make their own decisions and they have an equal vote too.
9.11am GMT
9.11am GMT
09:11
09:11
Osborne came under pressure to reject suggestions that the deal’s restrictions on benefits for the families EU migrants in Britain was based on a “straw man” - specifically on the basis of HMRC figures showing that only 16 percent of migrants who arrived between 2010 and 2014 claimed tax credits.
Osborne came under pressure to reject suggestions that the deal’s restrictions on benefits for the families EU migrants in Britain was based on a “straw man” - specifically on the basis of HMRC figures showing that only 16 percent of migrants who arrived between 2010 and 2014 claimed tax credits.
Have a listen to John Humphreys tackling Osborn on that:
Have a listen to John Humphreys tackling Osborn on that:
8.58am GMT
08:58
Osborne’s interview gave clear signals of how the government intends to pursue the campaign. There was a lot of emphasis on the word “special status” while the words “security” and “risk” as well as the phrase “leap in the dark” were also used.
Under pressured to defend the deal, he added that “of course it has its faults and can be improved” but he asked of Britain’s place in the EU:
Do we leave… do we go for that leap in the dark, with all the risk to our national security… that is the question which everyone is listening, will have to make.
8.54am GMT
08:54
George Osborne: Cameron has achieved a "great deal"
The Chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, has been trumpeting the package which David Cameron has brought back from Brussels.
Speaking in the last 20 minutes on BBC Radio 4, Osborne came under intense pressure to justify how the deal is as radical as David Cameron had been hoping for. Osborne said:
It’s a change to the fundamental treaties which undermine the European Union which says that Britain is no longer part of ever closer European Union.
For as long as I can remember, Britain has been a reluctant partner [in the EU and its predecessors] partly because we have been committed to this ever close union and we have always been uncomfortable with that
Successive prime ministers have always kept us out of things like the Euro… But what David Cameron has achieved and what no Prime Minister has achieved , is that Britain is no longer committed to that ever closer integration, a European super state [John Humphrys splutters]
We are not part of it now and I think that is a fundamentally more comfortable position that the UK is in this morning.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now. You can follow me on Twitter at @BenQuinn75
8.26am GMT
08:26
Reaction is continuing from political figures across Europe. Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn said the renegotiation was purely designed to deal with Conservative dissent, but welcomed elements of the deal and said Labour stood solidly behind continued EU membership.
Mr Cameron “has done what he decided he had to do because he was too weak to stand up to his political party”, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today - saying the “red card” and protections for non-euro countries had been Labour demands.
He said only a very small number of Opposition MPs would campaign for “Leave”. He added: “The vast majority of Labour MPs, the Labour movement, the Labour Party conference, the trade union movement, supports our continued membership.
“Why? Because being in the EU has given us jobs, investment, growth. It gives us security and it gives us influence in the world. Why would we want to exchange all of that for a leap into the unknown?”
Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has pledged that her Government will be at the forefront of making the argument for keeping Scotland in the European Union.
The First Minister said it is more important than ever that those who support Scotland’s membership speak out, following David Cameron’s reform deal struck after marathon talks in Brussels.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The conclusion of an agreement at the European Council means the focus can now shift to the bigger and much more important matter of why our continued European Union membership is overwhelmingly in Scotland and the UK’s best interests.
“For more than 40 years, individuals, businesses and communities across Scotland have experienced the many social, economic and cultural benefits of EU membership.”
8.17am GMT
08:17
A round-up of views from the media today shows, as you might well have anticipated, that opinion is very much divided on the scale/nature/existence of Cameron’s achievement in Brussels.
The Guardian
The don’t-knows are likely to care a lot about the outcome that was confirmed on Friday and are right to do so. Their verdict will move votes one way or another. The fact that Mr Cameron, one of the few politicians with positive ratings, is recommending it may weigh with them too …
Mr Cameron did not need to take the route he has taken on Europe in the first place. The whole renegotiation was a gambling of Britain’s place in Europe in the case of Tory party management.
But, having embarked on it, he has delivered a package that those who have not made up their minds should take very seriously indeed.
Related: The Guardian view on the EU summit: last tangle in Brussels | Editorial
The Times
[David Cameron] wants, he says, a “live-and-let-live” Europe. This at least captures the essence of a Europe in which Britain could be socially comfortable and an engine of prosperity without chafing under unsolicited red tape and undemocratic laws.
A live-and-let-live Europe is what Mr Cameron promised along with a referendum. His problem, and Britain’s, is that he has not delivered it.
He has hitched himself instead to a Europe whose eastern members remain determined to keep access to the British labour market on favourable terms, and in which France resents the dominance of the City and wants to cut it down to size.
Read it in full here.
The Telegraph
The EU is arcane and sclerotic – and the events of the past few days have proved it. It cannot adapt to suit changing circumstances or to meet the demands of political crises. Now the British voters have their chance to pass a verdict not only on this deal but the entire European project.
Hopefully the pro-EU and Brexit activists will rise to the occasion, offering a campaign rooted in facts and reason rather than fear mongering. Britain has an opportunity, finally, to take its destiny into its own hands.
Whatever people might think of the strengths and weaknesses of this deal, Mr Cameron deserves credit for giving us that much.
Read it in full here.
The Daily Mail
One thing is clear. Nothing agreed in Brussels will tempt a single voter to cross from the Out to the In camp (though it may swing some people the other way).
Nor will these renegotiations begin to serve the cynical purpose for which Mr Cameron embarked on them. For far from healing the Tory Party’s age-old rift over Europe, it promises only to increase the bitterness.
Indeed, the prime minister comes out of this sorry saga badly wounded, just eight months after his surprise election triumph made him look all but invincible on the domestic political battleground.
But it is not too late for him to redeem himself. He should tell voters, humbly and frankly, that he has tried hard but failed to secure a deal worth having.
Read it in full here.
8.02am GMT
08:02
Latest summary
Claire Phipps
If you’re just joining the blog, welcome (were you up all night reading EU documents, or something?). Here’s where we’re up to so far on Saturday, as we await David Cameron’s weekend cabinet meeting.
What we know
David Cameron has claimed victory and pledged to campaign with “all my heart and soul” to keep Britain inside the EU after a deal was struck on Friday evening to redraw the terms of the UK’s membership.
Leaders of the other 27 member nations agreed to a deal that will see:
What we don’t yet know
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future.
I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
What happens next
Cameron has summoned his cabinet to a meeting on Saturday morning – reportedly the first time the cabinet has met on a Saturday since the Falklands war.
The prime minister will announce that the government endorses the deal and will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU – but this lets off the leash those members of the cabinet who oppose membership and will now be free to campaign for a no vote.
7.55am GMT
07:55
The later edition of Saturday’s Guardian front page caught the deal being sealed:
The Guardian front page, Saturday 20 February 2016: Cameron strikes new EU deal pic.twitter.com/3WWIN9gd7t
7.44am GMT
07:44
As a counterpoint to those EU leaders applauding the deal, those favouring Brexit said it was not enough to sway them.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage wasn’t won over:
This is a truly pathetic deal. Let's Leave the EU, control our borders, run our own country and stop handing £55m every day to Brussels.
Labour MP Frank Field said he would be campaigning for a no vote in the referendum:
The PM has failed to secure the key renegotiation requirement, namely, that we should regain control of our borders https://t.co/g6a0n48fJq
The vote no campaign saw the deal as further grist to its mill:
Statement on EU deal from #LeaveEU co-chair Richard Tice: “Cameron promised half a loaf, begged for a crust and brought home crumbs.” #EUCO
Eurosceptic Tory MEP Daniel Hannan suggested the last-minute agreement was an act of showmanship:
Britain banged the table and aggressively demanded the status quo. The EU, after some mandatory faux-agonising, agreed. #EUCO #VoteLeave
And Rupert Murdoch – like Cameron – seemed convinced that Michael Gove will be campaigning for Brexit:
Congratulations Michael Gove. Friends always knew his principles would overcome his personal friendships.
7.34am GMT
07:34
How special is the UK's 'special status'?
Jennifer Rankin
David Cameron’s tweet claiming “I have negotiated a deal to give the UK special status in the EU” has been knocked back by others involved in the deal, Jennifer Rankin reports.
I have negotiated a deal to give the UK special status in the EU. I will be recommending it to Cabinet tomorrow. Press conference shortly.
EU officials downplayed Cameron’s claims, pointing out that the agreement confirmed Britain’s place as the country with the largest number of opt-outs and exclusions from EU law.
“Having a special status is not a reason for divorce,” said one senior official.
European council president Donald Tusk said:
The special status of the UK is nothing new – in fact, it is the essence of our common history.
Jean-Claude Juncker pointed out that:
The UK has always had special and specific status.
EU officials stressed that the “self-destruct clause” remains intact, meaning that if Britain votes to leave the European Union, the deal will disappear.
7.18am GMT
07:18
Reaction to the deal
European leaders have expressed their support for the deal – some more enthusiastically than others.
Donald Tusk
The president of the European Council said the deal had been unanimously agreed by all 28 leaders:
I deeply believe the UK needs Europe and Europe needs the UK. But the final decision is in the hands of the British people.
We didn’t walk away from the negotiating table. We were willing to sacrifice part of our interests for the common good, to show our unity.
The #UKinEU settlement addresses all of David Cameron’s concerns without compromising our fundamental values.
Angela Merkel
The German chancellor said the British deal was a fair compromise that introduced “a number of very interesting and valuable changes to the EU”:
We believe that with this we have given David Cameron a package with which he can campaign in Britain for Britain to stay in the European Union…
I wish David Cameron all the best in the coming weeks and months.
She said Germany would consider introducing similar restrictions on child benefit and rejected criticism that “we’ve given away too much” – although she conceded that the the issue of ever-closer union had been difficult to agree:
That’s an emotional issue. I am one of those who are for it.
Jean-Claude Juncker
The president of the European Commission said the deal was fair to Britain and the other member states:
The deal does not deepen cracks in our union, but builds bridges.
Beata Szydło
The prime minister of Poland, whose citizens in the UK are likely to be among those most affected by the rule changes on benefits, tweeted in cautious support of the deal:
Today’s agreement is good news for Europe. We took care of the interests of the Polish people benefiting from social security in the member states.
Enda Kenny
The Irish taoiseach said he supported strongly the idea that Britian should stay in the EU, but cautioned:
This is only the start of the process … The campaign begins here and it will be very challenging, given the circumstances that apply in Britain.
Matteo Renzi
The Italian PM sounded pleased that the summit was over:
The fact that we can go home now is also a step forward because at a certain point even that wasn’t a given.
6.57am GMT
06:57
Opening summary
Claire Phipps
If you’re after up-to-the-minute coverage of the aftermath of David Cameron’s EU deal – secured in a late-night coming-together in Brussels on Friday – as the prime minister takes the detail of the agreement to his fractious cabinet, then happy Saturday: you’ve come to the right place.
What we know
David Cameron has claimed victory and pledged to campaign with “all my heart and soul” to keep Britain inside the EU after a deal was struck on Friday evening to redraw the terms of the UK’s membership.
Leaders of the other 27 member nations agreed to a deal that will see:
What we don’t yet know
Michael is one of my oldest and closest friends but he has wanted to get Britain to pull out of the EU for about 30 years.
So of course I am disappointed that we are not going to be on the same side as we have this vital argument about our country’s future.
I am disappointed but I am not surprised.
What happens next
Cameron has summoned his cabinet to a meeting on Saturday morning – reportedly the first time the cabinet has met on a Saturday since the Falklands war.
The prime minister will announce that the government endorses the deal and will campaign for the UK to stay in the EU – but this lets off the leash those members of the cabinet who oppose membership and will now be free to campaign for a no vote.
Related: Innies, outies, unclears: where ministers stand on EU referendum
