CONSERVATIVE leader David Cameron has launched a fresh campaign for a British referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. With his sights set on a crushing defeat for Labour in the forthcoming European elections, Mr Cameron suggested voters had the opportunity to “make Labour’s next U-turn an EU-turn”.
The Tory leader unveiled his party’s latest poster and internet campaign on a day that saw Labour in various stages of retreat over prisons policy, the proposed single database for holding information of phone, e-mail and internet use, and on the vexed question of MPs’ expenses ahead of a promised vote on Thursday.
“Gordon Brown’s flip-flopped on this before,” declared Mr Cameron, turning renewed fire on what he called “Brown’s broken promise to give the British people a referendum on the European constitution – now rebranded as the Lisbon Treaty”.
First Mr Brown was against the constitution, then he backtracked, Mr Cameron charged: “While he has chopped and changed, our position has remained exactly the same. We are the only major party to have consistently said it is up to the British people to decide on our future in Europe.
“That’s why we have pledged that if the constitution is not in force in the event of the election of a Conservative government this year or next, we will hold a referendum on it, urge a No vote, and – if successful – reverse Britain’s ratification.”
Mr Cameron offered no clarity over what he would do if an incoming Conservative government found the treaty already ratified by all other member states, beyond restating that he would not “let matters rest there”.
That prompted the UK Independence Party to accuse Mr Cameron, in turn, of “chopping and changing” his position. UKIP leader Nigel Farrage made light of Mr Cameron’s election promise, saying: “The last Conservative manifesto promised a referendum, no ifs or buts, just like the Labour one did. Now it’s been weakened to ‘only if no one else minds very much’.”
Europe minister Caroline Flint, meanwhile, accused Mr Cameron of putting the Tory party interest ahead of the national interest, warning: “We need to work with our neighbours to tackle the global economic crisis, climate change and international terrorism, not retreat to the fringes of Europe. David Cameron’s policies on the Lisbon Treaty would leave Britain isolated in Europe, at a high cost to British families and businesses.”
Mr Cameron was unlikely to be perturbed by that, having previously been accused of being “isolated” upon warning against the promised fiscal stimulus that failed to materialise in last week’s British budget. His call for “an EU-turn” also coincided with his claim of “considerable confusion in Downing Street” over Mr Brown’s plan to draw a line under the damaging row over MPs’ salaries and allowances.
Commons leader Harriet Harman insisted the government had not abandoned its plan to replace the controversial second home allowance with a new flat-rate daily allowance. Although MPs will still have a vote on a number of other reforms proposed by Mr Brown, it seemed the expenses issue would now be left to an independent inquiry.