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| After British deal with the E.U., Cameron races to win support at home | After British deal with the E.U., Cameron races to win support at home |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — Having persuaded 27 fellow European leaders to do a deal to save Britain’s E.U. membership, Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday raced back to London to try to convince senior members of his own government not to back a Brexit. | LONDON — Having persuaded 27 fellow European leaders to do a deal to save Britain’s E.U. membership, Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday raced back to London to try to convince senior members of his own government not to back a Brexit. |
| In a rare Saturday morning cabinet meeting — the first since the Falklands War in 1982 — Cameron attempted to rally his senior ministers to the cause of keeping the United Kingdom a part of the union that has defined the continent's postwar order. | In a rare Saturday morning cabinet meeting — the first since the Falklands War in 1982 — Cameron attempted to rally his senior ministers to the cause of keeping the United Kingdom a part of the union that has defined the continent's postwar order. |
| The meeting came just hours after the prime minister inked a deal in Brussels with his E.U. counterparts that he said would dramatically improve British relations with the bloc. The agreement, featuring concessions in areas ranging from currency protections to immigration, came after two days of round-the-clock talks. | The meeting came just hours after the prime minister inked a deal in Brussels with his E.U. counterparts that he said would dramatically improve British relations with the bloc. The agreement, featuring concessions in areas ranging from currency protections to immigration, came after two days of round-the-clock talks. |
| But with a referendum campaign underway, there were major defections from the British government’s senior ranks, reflecting bitter divisions in the prime minister's Conservative Party over the country’s ambivalent membership in the European Union. | But with a referendum campaign underway, there were major defections from the British government’s senior ranks, reflecting bitter divisions in the prime minister's Conservative Party over the country’s ambivalent membership in the European Union. |
| Speaking in front of 10 Downing Street on a gray Saturday morning, Cameron announced that Britain will vote on the issue June 23, giving both sides the next four months to try to convince a majority of Britons. If the country leaves the European Union, it would become the first to do so, and its departure could trigger a broader unraveling at a time when the union faces greater challenges than at any point in decades. | Speaking in front of 10 Downing Street on a gray Saturday morning, Cameron announced that Britain will vote on the issue June 23, giving both sides the next four months to try to convince a majority of Britons. If the country leaves the European Union, it would become the first to do so, and its departure could trigger a broader unraveling at a time when the union faces greater challenges than at any point in decades. |
| The stakes are high for Britain, as well. | The stakes are high for Britain, as well. |
| “We are approaching one of the biggest decisions this country will face in our lifetimes,” Cameron said Saturday. | “We are approaching one of the biggest decisions this country will face in our lifetimes,” Cameron said Saturday. |
| The prime minister announced that a majority of his cabinet was recommending a vote to stay “in,” and he argued that a departure — popularly known as Brexit — would damage Britain by depriving the country of vital partners. | The prime minister announced that a majority of his cabinet was recommending a vote to stay “in,” and he argued that a departure — popularly known as Brexit — would damage Britain by depriving the country of vital partners. |
| “Leaving Europe would threaten our economic and national security,” he said. | “Leaving Europe would threaten our economic and national security,” he said. |
| Opinion polls once showed a clear majority of British voters agreeing with the prime minister. But they have tightened markedly in recent months, and most now suggest that the contest could go either way. The United States and other major British allies have lined up in favor of Britain staying in the European Union, arguing that the country’s influence would be vastly diminished if it leaves. | Opinion polls once showed a clear majority of British voters agreeing with the prime minister. But they have tightened markedly in recent months, and most now suggest that the contest could go either way. The United States and other major British allies have lined up in favor of Britain staying in the European Union, arguing that the country’s influence would be vastly diminished if it leaves. |
| Cameron bucked British political convention by opting to allow his cabinet ministers to speak out on either side of the E.U. debate. Half a dozen cabinet members were pictured in a photo released Saturday by the anti-E.U. campaign group Vote Leave, indicating they will defy the prime minister and side with “out.” | |
| Their ranks include Justice Secretary Michael Gove, an influential Tory and one of Cameron’s closest friends. In a lengthy statement released Saturday afternoon, Gove said that he was anguished at the idea of opposing the prime minister but that he could not ignore his belief that the United Kingdom would be “freer, fairer and better off outside the E.U.” | |
| The union, Gove wrote, is outdated and anti-democratic. | |
| “Laws which govern citizens in this country are decided by politicians from other nations who we never elected and can’t throw out,” he argued. | |
| Cameron said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Gove’s decision. | |
| Other top government officials opted for “in,” including finance minister George Osborne and Home Secretary Theresa May. | |
| May, a hardliner with Euroskeptic tendencies who was at one time considered a possible Brexit supporter, released a statement Saturday announcing she was for "in." | |
| She said the decision was "for reasons of security, protection against crime and terrorism, trade with Europe, and access to markets around the world." | |
| London Mayor Boris Johnson, a leading Conservative who covets Cameron’s job, has also toyed with supporting the “out” campaign. | |
| He did not immediately show his hand Saturday, and the BBC reported he was unlikely to announce his decision until Sunday at the earliest. Johnson would give the “out” movement the sort of charismatic and broadly popular leader it currently lacks. | He did not immediately show his hand Saturday, and the BBC reported he was unlikely to announce his decision until Sunday at the earliest. Johnson would give the “out” movement the sort of charismatic and broadly popular leader it currently lacks. |
| Compared with the Conservatives, the center-left Labour Party is less divided over the issue, with most of the party’s elected leaders supporting E.U. membership. | Compared with the Conservatives, the center-left Labour Party is less divided over the issue, with most of the party’s elected leaders supporting E.U. membership. |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described Cameron’s renegotiation Saturday as “tinkering.” But he nonetheless said his party would campaign to stay in the European Union because “it brings investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers.” | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described Cameron’s renegotiation Saturday as “tinkering.” But he nonetheless said his party would campaign to stay in the European Union because “it brings investment, jobs and protection for British workers and consumers.” |
| The political leanings of Britain’s newspapers were on vivid display Saturday morning, with right-wing papers dismissing Cameron’s E.U. deal and left-leaning ones praising it. | The political leanings of Britain’s newspapers were on vivid display Saturday morning, with right-wing papers dismissing Cameron’s E.U. deal and left-leaning ones praising it. |
| The progressively minded Guardian said the renegotiations were “substantive not superficial,” while the Rupert Murdoch-owned Times of London pronounced that “from land of chocolate, Cameron was always destined to bring back fudge.” | The progressively minded Guardian said the renegotiations were “substantive not superficial,” while the Rupert Murdoch-owned Times of London pronounced that “from land of chocolate, Cameron was always destined to bring back fudge.” |
| Cameron had demanded far-reaching concessions from his E.U. counterparts, saying that he needed to prove to increasingly populist voters that an institution often seen in Britain as an overbearing infringement on national sovereignty could loosen its grip. But continental leaders, who support keeping Britain in the club, drove a tough bargain, and some bridled at what they regarded as a British attempt to blackmail the bloc into giving the country a special deal. | Cameron had demanded far-reaching concessions from his E.U. counterparts, saying that he needed to prove to increasingly populist voters that an institution often seen in Britain as an overbearing infringement on national sovereignty could loosen its grip. But continental leaders, who support keeping Britain in the club, drove a tough bargain, and some bridled at what they regarded as a British attempt to blackmail the bloc into giving the country a special deal. |
| In the end, Cameron received less than what he had initially sought. But he still claimed victory in Brussels on Friday night and immediately pivoted to what is certain to be an emotional and bitterly fought campaign. | In the end, Cameron received less than what he had initially sought. But he still claimed victory in Brussels on Friday night and immediately pivoted to what is certain to be an emotional and bitterly fought campaign. |
| “The British people must now decide whether to stay in this reformed European Union or to leave,” he said. “This will be a once-in-a-generation moment to shape the destiny of our country.” | “The British people must now decide whether to stay in this reformed European Union or to leave,” he said. “This will be a once-in-a-generation moment to shape the destiny of our country.” |
| At a news conference in Brussels, the E.U. headquarters, Cameron then made a forceful case for Britain to stay, saying that the deal he had negotiated addressed the country’s — and his own — misgivings about an institution he has often derided as bureaucratic and dysfunctional. | At a news conference in Brussels, the E.U. headquarters, Cameron then made a forceful case for Britain to stay, saying that the deal he had negotiated addressed the country’s — and his own — misgivings about an institution he has often derided as bureaucratic and dysfunctional. |
| “I do not love Brussels; I love Britain,” he said. But staying in the bloc gives his country “the best of both worlds,” with the opportunity to keep the benefits of E.U. membership while “staying out of the parts of Europe that don’t work for us.” An exit, he said, represents “a leap in the dark.” | “I do not love Brussels; I love Britain,” he said. But staying in the bloc gives his country “the best of both worlds,” with the opportunity to keep the benefits of E.U. membership while “staying out of the parts of Europe that don’t work for us.” An exit, he said, represents “a leap in the dark.” |
| Campaigners for a British exit — popularly known as Brexit — vehemently disagreed. Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-E.U. U.K. Independence Party, tweeted that the agreement was “a truly pathetic deal. Let’s Leave the EU, control our borders, run our own country and stop handing £55m [$80 million] every day to Brussels.” | Campaigners for a British exit — popularly known as Brexit — vehemently disagreed. Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-E.U. U.K. Independence Party, tweeted that the agreement was “a truly pathetic deal. Let’s Leave the EU, control our borders, run our own country and stop handing £55m [$80 million] every day to Brussels.” |
| The referendum comes as the result of a promise Cameron first made in 2013. During last year's general election, he vowed that he would give voters an up-or-down choice by the end of 2017. | The referendum comes as the result of a promise Cameron first made in 2013. During last year's general election, he vowed that he would give voters an up-or-down choice by the end of 2017. |
| Analysts say he decided to accelerate the timetable because he and his top advisers believe that the risk of a British exit only grows the longer the country goes without a vote. But holding the contest in the summer, when the continent could be inundated by hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, is a risky bet. | Analysts say he decided to accelerate the timetable because he and his top advisers believe that the risk of a British exit only grows the longer the country goes without a vote. But holding the contest in the summer, when the continent could be inundated by hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, is a risky bet. |
| [What’s a ‘Brexit’? A guide to Britain’s E.U. drama.] | [What’s a ‘Brexit’? A guide to Britain’s E.U. drama.] |
| E.U. officials expressed hope Friday that they had given Cameron enough to secure an “in” vote. “I deeply believe that the United Kingdom needs Europe, and Europe needs the United Kingdom,” said European Council President Donald Tusk. “To break the link now would be totally against our mutual interest.” | E.U. officials expressed hope Friday that they had given Cameron enough to secure an “in” vote. “I deeply believe that the United Kingdom needs Europe, and Europe needs the United Kingdom,” said European Council President Donald Tusk. “To break the link now would be totally against our mutual interest.” |
| But Tusk also acknowledged that Britain has long been a special case, retaining its membership but staying out of the common currency and the freemovement Schengen zone. In a pointed reference to Cameron’s comments, Tusk concluded his remarks late Friday by saying, “I love Britain and I love Brussels.” | But Tusk also acknowledged that Britain has long been a special case, retaining its membership but staying out of the common currency and the freemovement Schengen zone. In a pointed reference to Cameron’s comments, Tusk concluded his remarks late Friday by saying, “I love Britain and I love Brussels.” |
| European leaders who gathered this week in Brussels were reluctant to give Cameron the wide-ranging concessions he had demanded, and the result was 40 hours of talks that at times were heated. | European leaders who gathered this week in Brussels were reluctant to give Cameron the wide-ranging concessions he had demanded, and the result was 40 hours of talks that at times were heated. |
| The deal was originally supposed to be sealed Friday over “an English breakfast,” with E.U. leaders gathered around a table piled high with bacon and beans. But as negotiations that began Thursday afternoon hit a series of snags overnight, plans for breakfast were pushed back to an English brunch. Then lunch. Then high tea. The presumably famished leaders finally sat down to a dinner of veal fillets and polenta late Friday night — and agreed on a document that bridged the wider-than-expected gaps. | The deal was originally supposed to be sealed Friday over “an English breakfast,” with E.U. leaders gathered around a table piled high with bacon and beans. But as negotiations that began Thursday afternoon hit a series of snags overnight, plans for breakfast were pushed back to an English brunch. Then lunch. Then high tea. The presumably famished leaders finally sat down to a dinner of veal fillets and polenta late Friday night — and agreed on a document that bridged the wider-than-expected gaps. |
| The deal gives Britain a special exemption from Europe’s vow of “ever-closer union,” establishes financial protections for countries that do not use the euro, creates a national veto over E.U. legislation and, most controversially, offers Britain permission to limit benefits paid to immigrants from within the E.U. | The deal gives Britain a special exemption from Europe’s vow of “ever-closer union,” establishes financial protections for countries that do not use the euro, creates a national veto over E.U. legislation and, most controversially, offers Britain permission to limit benefits paid to immigrants from within the E.U. |
| All four measures would loosen the bonds of continental integration, and each proved a difficult sell to reach the unanimous agreement that the E.U. requires. The French pushed back against attempts to weaken financial regulations. East Europeans called foul on restrictions to benefits. The Germans fretted that abandoning the goal of ever-closer union could scupper the European project. | All four measures would loosen the bonds of continental integration, and each proved a difficult sell to reach the unanimous agreement that the E.U. requires. The French pushed back against attempts to weaken financial regulations. East Europeans called foul on restrictions to benefits. The Germans fretted that abandoning the goal of ever-closer union could scupper the European project. |
| Other variables also came into play. Before signing off on a deal, Greek negotiators reportedly sought a promise that the E.U. would not shut the country’s northern border to migrants and refugees. Such a move, which several E.U. members have advocated, could effectively trap thousands in Greece and prevent them from reaching the countries in northern Europe where they hope to settle. | Other variables also came into play. Before signing off on a deal, Greek negotiators reportedly sought a promise that the E.U. would not shut the country’s northern border to migrants and refugees. Such a move, which several E.U. members have advocated, could effectively trap thousands in Greece and prevent them from reaching the countries in northern Europe where they hope to settle. |
| It remains an open question whether Cameron received enough to sway his electorate. Brexit advocates insist that the country is being weighed down by its ties to the continent, particularly by the open borders to European immigration that are required under E.U. treaties. | It remains an open question whether Cameron received enough to sway his electorate. Brexit advocates insist that the country is being weighed down by its ties to the continent, particularly by the open borders to European immigration that are required under E.U. treaties. |
| Cameron said Friday that the benefits-related changes will help limit net migration to Britain, which is at an all-time high. Despite vigorous objections from East European leaders, Cameron won the right to trigger “an emergency brake,” with workers having to pay into Britain’s system for four years before they can receive certain benefits. | Cameron said Friday that the benefits-related changes will help limit net migration to Britain, which is at an all-time high. Despite vigorous objections from East European leaders, Cameron won the right to trigger “an emergency brake,” with workers having to pay into Britain’s system for four years before they can receive certain benefits. |
| [Europe wants Britain to stay in the E.U., but not at any cost] | [Europe wants Britain to stay in the E.U., but not at any cost] |
| European leaders generally played down the extent of the changes, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker describing them as narrowly targeted. Experts agreed that the changes will not fundamentally alter the E.U. But much now depends on how they are received in Britain. | European leaders generally played down the extent of the changes, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker describing them as narrowly targeted. Experts agreed that the changes will not fundamentally alter the E.U. But much now depends on how they are received in Britain. |
| [Has Prince William entered Britain’s debate over leaving Europe?] | [Has Prince William entered Britain’s debate over leaving Europe?] |
| Cameron's E.U. counterparts are mindful that a British exit could be the start of a broader disintegration, with Euroskeptic forces in their own countries likely to be emboldened if one of the cornerstones of the E.U. project departs. | Cameron's E.U. counterparts are mindful that a British exit could be the start of a broader disintegration, with Euroskeptic forces in their own countries likely to be emboldened if one of the cornerstones of the E.U. project departs. |
| Even before the negotiations were complete, Cameron was facing defections at home. The BBC and others reported late Friday that Gove would side with "out." | Even before the negotiations were complete, Cameron was facing defections at home. The BBC and others reported late Friday that Gove would side with "out." |
| Speaking Friday night, Cameron played down the impact that any one politician might have on the outcome, noting that the politics of in vs. out cross party lines. | Speaking Friday night, Cameron played down the impact that any one politician might have on the outcome, noting that the politics of in vs. out cross party lines. |
| “In the end, this isn’t the politicians’ show,” he said. “It is the people’s show.” | “In the end, this isn’t the politicians’ show,” he said. “It is the people’s show.” |
| Read more: | Read more: |
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| Even Europe’s humanitarian superpower is turning its back on refugees | Even Europe’s humanitarian superpower is turning its back on refugees |