William Hague: How ever you feel about Europe, it’s time to let the people make a choice

THE Conservative Party has published its Bill to hold an in-out referendum on our membership of the EU before the end of 2017.
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It has been nearly 40 years since the British people last had their say on Europe and most people alive today were either not born or were too young to vote, as I was.

In that time, so much has changed – the countries involved and the powers devolved, as well as the benefits and costs of membership. People across the country have told me that they feel that the EU has been heading in a direction they never signed up to. This question mark is already there and ignoring it will not make it go away. These concerns deserve to be heard and acted upon.

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I know the views across Yorkshire on our relationship with the European Union will be as diverse as they are strong. I know the renewable energy industry in places like Hull and the Don Valley has benefitted from EU funding. But there are also the small businesses in places like Leeds and Doncaster who struggle under the increasing burden of rules and regulations originating from Brussels.

Whether you are in favour of our continued membership of the EU or against it, it is time the British public were allowed to decide.

That is why the Conservative Party wants to negotiate a fresh settlement in the EU that delivers a better deal for Britain.

This new settlement should be rigorously focussed on what matters to the people of Europe today: competitiveness, fairness, flexibility, respect for national democracies, and allowing powers to flow back from Brussels to EU countries.

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Just last month, I spoke about my proposal to introduce a new system of “red cards”. This would give groups of national parliaments the ability to stop European laws that interfere in matters that should be left to nation states of Europe.

We will then put the result of those negotiations to the British people before the end of 2017, holding an in-out referendum with a very clear and simple choice: to stay in the European Union on the terms that have been negotiated or to come out altogether.

As the Prime Minister has said, it is time for the British people to have their say. That is the real choice that I think most people in the UK want to be theirs. Our Bill to make sure this happens will be first debated by MPs in Parliament in just a few weeks on July 5 – but, crucially, it needs the support of other political parties to pass and become law.

That is why the Conservative Party has launched the Let Britain Decide campaign to build public pressure and let the British people have a say.

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This isn’t just a Conservative Party campaign – it is for everyone who believes that we need a say.

If you visit the campaign website at www.LetBritainDecide.com, you can write to your local MP or your local newspaper and voice your support for our campaign for an in-out referendum on the EU. 

The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have told their MPs not to vote for the Conservatives’ EU Referendum Bill.

I believe they are wrong to think that the British people shouldn’t have their say on our membership of the EU.

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It is only by building public pressure and urging Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs to listen to the country, not their leaderships, that we can make sure this Bill passes. While we are urging them to defy their leaders and back our Bill, you can help by adding on the pressure too. So we are asking the public to stand up, make their voice heard, support our commitment to hold an in-out referendum and publicly co-sponsor the EU Referendum Bill online by visiting our campaign Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/LetBritainDecide.

The Prime Minister and I have both already signed up online as public co-sponsors and now you can too.

This is an historic campaign – it is the very first time that members of the British public will have the opportunity to publicly co-sponsor a parliamentary Bill. If enough people co-sponsor the Bill we hope Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs will listen and speak up for their constituents and for the country.

So if you agree, we need you to sign up now, and spread the word to get as many of your friends and family to do the same.

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I know that the people of Yorkshire will help to lead 
the way.

I want to urge MPs from all political parties to vote for our EU Referendum Bill and show that they back democracy, as well as the right of their constituents to decide on our future in the European Union.

Your support in this will be crucial. Help us deliver that in-out referendum on the EU, make your voice heard and show our MPs that you agree by joining our historic campaign and publicly co-sponsoring the Bill today.