Has David Cameron now shot the UKIP fox? The Prime Minister has now put a referendum on the political agenda. No.10’s thinking, as revealed by James Forsyth weeks ago, is that the weekend’s high-profile posturing will see off the UKIP threat. The PM has given it a decent amount of welly in the Commons today too, calling for a ‘fresh deal’ and ‘fresh consent’ on Europe. We can take this to mean renegotiation followed by a referendum on membership. But today, Cameron also made clear he’d campaign for an ‘in’ vote, stating:
‘I don’t believe leaving the EU would be right for Britain, but nor do I believe voting to maintain the status quo would be right either.’
Ed Miliband is unlikely to outflank him on this, so all Westminster major parties will remain committed to the idea of EU membership.
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