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| As Cameron Visits Washington, Party Divides Over Europe | As Cameron Visits Washington, Party Divides Over Europe |
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| LONDON — An emotive clamor for Britain to consider quitting the European Union appeared to be spreading within the dominant Conservative Party, even as its leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, met with President Obama in Washington on Monday as an advocate of closer trade ties between the United States and the European bloc. | LONDON — An emotive clamor for Britain to consider quitting the European Union appeared to be spreading within the dominant Conservative Party, even as its leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, met with President Obama in Washington on Monday as an advocate of closer trade ties between the United States and the European bloc. |
| The debate in Britain — with two members of Mr. Cameron’s own cabinet saying they would favor withdrawal from the European Union if a vote were held “tomorrow” — seemed likely to undermine the British leader’s overtures to the Obama administration, which wants Britain to maintain its membership as a bridge between Washington and the rest of the European Union. | The debate in Britain — with two members of Mr. Cameron’s own cabinet saying they would favor withdrawal from the European Union if a vote were held “tomorrow” — seemed likely to undermine the British leader’s overtures to the Obama administration, which wants Britain to maintain its membership as a bridge between Washington and the rest of the European Union. |
| Speaking at a news conference in after talks with President Obama, Mr. Cameron said he would work to renegotiate Britain’s ties with the European Union before putting the question of membership to the voters and insisted that there was “not going to be a referendum tomorrow.” | |
| That, he added, would present a “false choice between the status quo and leaving and I don’t think that’s the choice the British public wants or the British public deserves.” | |
| President Obama described Britain’s membership in the bloc as an expression of its influence in the wider world. “You probably want to see if you can fix what’s broken in a very important relationship before you break it off - makes some sense to me,” Mr. Obama added. | |
| Mr. Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the body and to hold an “in-out” referendum on membership by 2017 if he wins the next election in 2015. Facing demands within his party for a tougher line, the British leader rebuked cabinet ministers on Monday for “throwing in the towel” on an issue that has haunted Conservatives for decades and challenged successive leaders. | Mr. Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the body and to hold an “in-out” referendum on membership by 2017 if he wins the next election in 2015. Facing demands within his party for a tougher line, the British leader rebuked cabinet ministers on Monday for “throwing in the towel” on an issue that has haunted Conservatives for decades and challenged successive leaders. |
| “There isn’t going to be a referendum tomorrow so it is a hypothetical question,” Mr. Cameron told reporters as he flew to Washington. | “There isn’t going to be a referendum tomorrow so it is a hypothetical question,” Mr. Cameron told reporters as he flew to Washington. |
| “What matters is making sure that we do everything we can to reform the E.U., make it more flexible, more open, more competitive and improve Britain’s relations with the E.U., change those relations so that when we have the referendum before the end of 2017 we give the British public a real choice, a proper choice.” | “What matters is making sure that we do everything we can to reform the E.U., make it more flexible, more open, more competitive and improve Britain’s relations with the E.U., change those relations so that when we have the referendum before the end of 2017 we give the British public a real choice, a proper choice.” |
| Writing earlier in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Cameron said Britain and the United States had “a precious opportunity to transform the global economy — not by less openness and less free trade, but by more. And we must do everything possible to seize it.” | Writing earlier in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Cameron said Britain and the United States had “a precious opportunity to transform the global economy — not by less openness and less free trade, but by more. And we must do everything possible to seize it.” |
| Britain holds the G-8 presidency this year, and Mr. Cameron will lead the annual gathering of the group that is to be held in Northern Ireland next month. His meeting with Mr. Obama is an important part of his preparations for the gathering. | Britain holds the G-8 presidency this year, and Mr. Cameron will lead the annual gathering of the group that is to be held in Northern Ireland next month. His meeting with Mr. Obama is an important part of his preparations for the gathering. |
| “Trade is not a zero sum game where one nation’s success is another’s failure,” Mr. Cameron wrote. “Trade makes the cake bigger so everyone can benefit. Take the free trade area between Europe and the U.S. on which we hope to launch negotiations when President Obama is in Northern Ireland for the G8 next month.” | “Trade is not a zero sum game where one nation’s success is another’s failure,” Mr. Cameron wrote. “Trade makes the cake bigger so everyone can benefit. Take the free trade area between Europe and the U.S. on which we hope to launch negotiations when President Obama is in Northern Ireland for the G8 next month.” |
| “This deal could add as much as £10 billion to the British economy and £63 billion to U.S. GDP,” he said. “But the rest of the world would benefit too, with gains that could generate 100 billion euros worldwide.” | “This deal could add as much as £10 billion to the British economy and £63 billion to U.S. GDP,” he said. “But the rest of the world would benefit too, with gains that could generate 100 billion euros worldwide.” |
| British reporters traveling with Mr. Cameron said his enthusiastic advocacy of a European project seemed to contrast with the mood among some in his party who have been unsettled by recent gains in local elections by the upstart United Kingdom Independence Party, which is openly hostile to the European Union. | British reporters traveling with Mr. Cameron said his enthusiastic advocacy of a European project seemed to contrast with the mood among some in his party who have been unsettled by recent gains in local elections by the upstart United Kingdom Independence Party, which is openly hostile to the European Union. |
| In response to its successes, several Conservative ministers have endorsed calls among lawmakers for Mr. Cameron to go beyond his promise of a referendum by 2017 by enshrining his pledge in law. Conservative rebels have called for a parliamentary vote on the issue on Wednesday. They seem certain to lose the ballot, but it is likely to highlight the depths of Conservative divisions. | In response to its successes, several Conservative ministers have endorsed calls among lawmakers for Mr. Cameron to go beyond his promise of a referendum by 2017 by enshrining his pledge in law. Conservative rebels have called for a parliamentary vote on the issue on Wednesday. They seem certain to lose the ballot, but it is likely to highlight the depths of Conservative divisions. |
| In interviews on Sunday, Education Minister Michael Gove and Defense Minister Philip Hammond both indicated that they would vote to leave the European Union if a referendum were held tomorrow. | In interviews on Sunday, Education Minister Michael Gove and Defense Minister Philip Hammond both indicated that they would vote to leave the European Union if a referendum were held tomorrow. |
| “If the choice is between a European Union written exactly as it is today and not being a part of that then I have to say that I’m on the side of the argument that Michael Gove has put forward,” Mr. Hammond said. “I believe that we have to negotiate a better solution that works better for Britain if we are going to stay in.” | “If the choice is between a European Union written exactly as it is today and not being a part of that then I have to say that I’m on the side of the argument that Michael Gove has put forward,” Mr. Hammond said. “I believe that we have to negotiate a better solution that works better for Britain if we are going to stay in.” |
| In a regular column in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson, London’s Conservative mayor, also contributed to the discussion on Monday, saying he favored parliamentary moves to strengthen Britain’s negotiating position but supported Mr. Cameron’s timetable for a referendum. | In a regular column in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson, London’s Conservative mayor, also contributed to the discussion on Monday, saying he favored parliamentary moves to strengthen Britain’s negotiating position but supported Mr. Cameron’s timetable for a referendum. |
| “This renegotiation can only work if we understand clearly what we want to achieve: a pared-down relationship based on free trade and cooperation,” he said. “If we are going to have any chance of success in the negotiations, we need to show that the U.K. is willing to walk away.” | “This renegotiation can only work if we understand clearly what we want to achieve: a pared-down relationship based on free trade and cooperation,” he said. “If we are going to have any chance of success in the negotiations, we need to show that the U.K. is willing to walk away.” |
| But he also said many of Britain’s problems had nothing to do with the European Union. | But he also said many of Britain’s problems had nothing to do with the European Union. |
| “If we left the E.U.,” Mr. Johnson wrote, “we would end this sterile debate, and we would have to recognize that most of our problems are not caused by” membership of the European Union, “but by chronic British short-termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure.” | “If we left the E.U.,” Mr. Johnson wrote, “we would end this sterile debate, and we would have to recognize that most of our problems are not caused by” membership of the European Union, “but by chronic British short-termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure.” |
| “Why are we still, person for person, so much less productive than the Germans? That is now a question more than a century old, and the answer has nothing to do with the E.U. In or out of the E.U., we must have a clear vision of how we are going to be competitive in a global economy,” he said. | “Why are we still, person for person, so much less productive than the Germans? That is now a question more than a century old, and the answer has nothing to do with the E.U. In or out of the E.U., we must have a clear vision of how we are going to be competitive in a global economy,” he said. |