Governing is about choices. That goes for Europe too. The government says it can get
everything it wants – that’s politics – but the reality is different. It actually faces a number of trade-offs, the biggest being a choice between staying in an EU that reforms but not
as quickly or as dramatically as parts of the Tory party wants; or to pull out entirely from the EU.
In his speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, the Prime Minister argued that he could both change Britain’s relationship with the EU but remain inside the 27-member bloc. But I can find no serious EU expert or mandarin who believes this is actually possible. The most the PM can probably get is an opt-out from judicial cooperation.
The main reason is that the UK has no leverage over the other EU nations.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in