Cameron to commit to vote on EU membership

The Prime Minister will delight eurosceptics both within his own party and amongst the right-wing Press when he delivers his long-awaited and much-delayed speech on Britain’s position in Europe this morning.

Speaking in central London, Mr Cameron will go considerably further than expected in the landmark address when he commits his party to a straight in/out referendum after 2015, once he has renegotiated the country’s relationship with the EU.

It would be the British people’s first direct vote on Europe in more than 40 years.

“The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative Government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next Parliament,” Mr Cameron will say this morning.

“And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice – to stay in the EU on these new terms, or come out altogether. It will be an in/out referendum.”

The Prime Minister has come under increasing pressure to set out his position on Europe over the past 12 months, fuelled by powerful euroscepticism on his own backbenches and by the rise of Ukip in the opinion polls.

Tory strategists are concerned the party is losing support to Ukip in key marginal seats that could cost it dearly in 2015.

Mr Cameron will make clear he wants Britain to stay in the EU – but under new terms that will see powers flow “in both directions”.

Shrugging off vehement opposition from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband – who both fear placing a question mark over Britain’s membership of the EU for the next five years will be bad for business – the Prime Minister will prepare legislation for a public vote before the next General Election.

If the Conservatives win that election in May 2015, the “enabling legislation” for a referendum will then be passed immediately.

Mr Cameron would then seek to renegotiate Britain’s position in Europe, ahead of a referendum before the summer of 2017.

“We will complete this negotiation and hold this referendum within the first half of the next Parliament,” he will announce.

“It is time for the British people to have their say.

“It is time to settle this European question in British politics.”

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have both made clear they do not support committing to an in/out referendum five years in advance.

Mr Clegg told an audience at the Yorkshire Post’s head offices in Leeds last week that such a pledge would create “years and years of grinding uncertainty” for British business.

Mr Miliband said yesterday the Prime Minister was “weak”, and had been forced into changing his stance on a referendum by his backbench MPs.

Bernard Ingham: Page 13.