David cameron

Monday

Isabel Hardman

Cameron takes aim at Boris in pointed Commons statement

The main difference between David Cameron’s statement to MPs on his EU deal and the two statements he has already given on the matter was that this one had added digs at Boris Johnson. Quite a few of them, in fact. The Prime Minister is clearly furious with the Mayor of London for his weekend announcement that he will be campaigning to leave, and inserted a number of extremely pointed lines into his feedback to the Commons that showed what he thought of Johnson’s decision. He ruled out the suggestion – one made by Boris himself – that voting Leave now would teach Europe a lesson and enable a better renegotiation

The Spectator

Cameron fights back: his full statement on the EU deal

I have spent the last nine months setting out the four areas where we need reform and meeting with all 27 other EU Heads of State and government to reach an agreement that delivers concrete reforms in all four areas. Let me take each in turn. First, British jobs and British business depend on being able to trade with Europe on a level playing field. So we wanted new protections for our economy; to safeguard the pound; to promote our industries – including our financial services industries; to protect British taxpayers from the costs of problems in the Eurozone and to ensure we have a full say over the rules of the single market, while remaining outside

Steerpike Steerpike

Tory MP heckles Jeremy Corbyn: ‘who are you?’

Although the Conservative party is currently divided over the EU, some Tory MPs are still managing to remember to attack the opposition party — rather than their colleagues. Today the Commons returned firmly to ‘Punch and Judy’ politics following Cameron’s EU statement in the Commons. As Jeremy Corbyn gave his reply, Chris Pincher — the MP for Tamworth — couldn’t resist having the last laugh. The incident occurred as the Labour leader discussed his recent trip to Brussels: Jeremy Corbyn: Last week — like him — I was in Brussels, meeting with heads of government and leaders of European socialist parties, one of whom said to me… Chris Pincher: Who are you? While Corbyn insists this is

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Cameron faces tricky day in the House of Commons over EU deal

David Cameron faces MPs today after returning from Brussels with his European Union reform deal. At 3.30 in the Commons, the Prime Minister will give a statement on the outcome of the European Council meeting, and take questions from MPs, including many on his own side who think the deal is a load of tosh. It will be interesting to see how many of them choose to tell him that, and what sort of language they use. There is a risk that this referendum campaign becomes very personal and furious, even while everyone involved is pontificating about the importance of the Tory party getting along well after the vote. Ministers

Steerpike Steerpike

Has Cameron scored an own goal? EU referendum clashes with ‘Independence Day’

David Cameron’s decision to hold the EU referendum on 23 June has already caused upset in some camps. While the SNP complain that it clashes with the Holyrood elections, Glastonbury festival goers are put out that they will have to organise a postal vote in order to have their say. Now there is more trouble ahead for Cameron. As if the Remain camp didn’t have enough to deal with now BoJo and Gove have backed Out, Independence Day 2 is to be released in UK cinemas the day after the referendum — on 24 June. This means that for weeks in the run-up to the vote there will be billboards and

Sunday

James Forsyth

This referendum is now a battle between two visions of the future

George Osborne’s plan for this referendum was to turn it into a question of the future versus the past, for both the country and the Tory party. He wanted the voters to see the Out campaign as a bunch of people who wanted to take Britain back to a bygone era. Inside the Tory party, his aim was to have the talent and the ambition on the IN side with only old war horses and the passed over and bitter on the other side. But the events of the past 36 hours have blown this plan off course. Out now has one of the most popular politicians in the country

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Blow to Cameron as Boris backs Brexit

David Cameron used to always remind people who asked him about what Boris would do in the referendum that the London Mayor had never advocated Britain leaving the European Union. But tonight, Boris will do exactly that. He will become the highest profile politician to back Brexit. Boris’s decision shakes up this referendum campaign. The IN campaign have long seen a swing to IN among Tory voters as the key to them securing a decisive victory. They believed that Cameron and pretty much all the Tory party endorsing the deal would provide that. But they cautioned that if Boris went the other way, the Cameron effect would be pretty much

Douglas Murray

The EU ‘deal’ is a political stitch-up

Almost everything about the EU debate so far has been a fraud.  The ‘Remain’ campaign has lied to the public about what David Cameron achieved in his ‘renegotiation’.  They have lied about the consequences of leaving the EU, in the hope of terrifying us into staying.  And now they are rushing us towards a referendum because the later they leave it the less likely it is that they will get the answer they want.  An innocent might rub their eyes in disbelief that a Conservative Prime Minister with the connivance of nearly the entire political class could be trying to bounce us into such a decision. But there it is. 

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Cameron makes last-minute appeal to Boris to campaign for Remain

David Cameron rehearsed many of his arguments about his deal on the Marr Show this morning, but he also made a fresh appeal to Boris Johnson to back the In side. He said: ‘To Boris, I would say to Boris what I say to everybody else which is we would be safer, we will be stronger, we will be better off inside the EU. I think the prospect of linking arms with Nigel Farage and George Galloway and taking a leap into the dark is the wrong step for our country and if Boris and others really care about being able to get things done in our world then the

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Pro-Brexit ministers unpick Cameron’s EU deal

Cabinet ministers are now free to campaign in the EU referendum, and inevitably the pro-Brexit bunch have all given interviews or penned pieces in the press about why they want to leave the European Union. Chris Grayling today tells the Sunday Times that David Cameron’s renegotiation ‘doesn’t go far enough’ and can be overturned by the European Parliament, and points out that for all the fuss about the emergency brake on migrant benefits, the introduction of the living wage will ‘boost the attraction of Britain as a place to come and work’. He also dismisses the assurances that Cameron is planning to set out on the sovereignty of Parliament, saying

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Contrary to what Cameron and Osborne say, Gove hasn’t been an Outer for 30 years

David Cameron and George Osborne have responded to Michael Gove’s decision to campaign for Out by saying that he has wanted to leave the EU for thirty years. But as Vote Leave are pointing out, Gove has not been an Outer for that long. When he was a journalist, Gove was actually arguing that Britain should, ultimately, stay in the EU. In 1996, he wrote in The Times that ‘It is still in Britain’s interest to stay in the EU.’ So, why are Cameron and Osborne saying that Gove has been an Outer for thirty years? I suspect it is because they want to paint Gove’s belief that Britain should

Saturday

James Forsyth

What was said at the EU referendum Cabinet

At Cabinet this morning, every minister spoke in strict order of Cabinet seniority. This meant that Michael Gove was the first person to make the case for Out. I’m told that his argument to Cabinet was essentially the same as the hugely powerful statement he put out afterwards, which you can read in full here. The theme of the Cabinet discussion was, broadly, the trade-off between sovereignty and access to the free market. According to one of those present, where you fell on that question determined your position in the debate. One IN supporting Cabinet minister tells me that Oliver Letwin was the most persuasive speaker for that side of

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

And we’re off! David Cameron announces EU referendum on 23 June

As expected, David Cameron has just confirmed that the EU referendum will be on Thursday 23 June. The Prime Minister confirmed – again – in his statement in Downing Street that he will be recommending an ‘In’ vote. The Prime Minister’s statement was largely a reprise of his key themes from last night. He said that ‘the choice goes to the heart of the kind of country we want to be’ and argued that ‘this is about how we trade with neighbouring countries to create jobs, prosperity and security for our families’. He also repeated his line from his Brussels statement about those who want to leave being unable to set

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Exclusive: Sajid Javid to back staying in the EU

Sajid Javid will campaign for Britain to stay in the EU. The Business Secretary’s decision is a blow to the Leave camp which had been hopefully of recruiting him; Javid had spoken in the past of how he was ‘not afraid’ of Britain leaving the EU as it ‘would open up opportunities’. Senior figures on the Leave side had hoped that Javid would help them persuade voters that quitting the EU would not be bad for business. Those familiar with the Business Secretary’s thinking say that what has swung Javid to IN is his sense that it is just too risky for Britain to leave right now given the parlous

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Newspaper front pages dump on Cameron’s deal – again

For David Cameron, the only upside to such a late agreement on his deal is that news didn’t break in time for most of the first editions of the newspapers – do they cannot dump on him from quite such a height as they did last time (see picture at the bottom). But still, they’re pretty discouraging. The Daily Mail is as unimpressed as ever. Its first edition led on 5,000 jihadis amongst EU immigrants: its later editions heaped further derision on Cameron’s deal. Inside, its editorial is blistering. “All that lost sleep, and for what?… Gone are his commitments to ‘full-on treaty change’, war on bureaucracy, sovereignty for Westminster… Mr Cameron and George Osborne

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Will more than half a dozen Cabinet Ministers back Brexit?

The Cabinet convenes this morning at 10am with, at least, six of those present set to back Out. The most intriguing of these Outers is Michael Gove. Gove is exceptionally close to Cameron and Osborne both politically and personally. He is one of the intellectual driving forces behind the Tory modernising project. But he is unable to back staying in the EU on these terms. Cameron claimed in his press conference last night that Gove had been an Outer for 30 years. I’m not sure that’s right. Friends say it was the experience of being a minister and finding out how much of government was just following what Brussels wanted

Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Spectator podcast special: David Cameron’s EU deal

[audioplayer src=”http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/spectatorpodcastspecial-davidcameronseudeal/media.mp3″ title=”David Cameron seals the EU deal – but is it any good? Isabel Hardman, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss” startat=18] Listen [/audioplayer] David Cameron has sealed an EU deal in Brussels – but is it any good? The Prime Minister said the renegotiation gives Britain ‘special status’ in the EU. Donald Tusk said there was unanimous support for the new settlement. But is the deal really as pivotal as the Prime Minister is suggesting? And what’s next for David Cameron as he flies back to London for a special Cabinet meeting in the morning? In this Spectator podcast special, Isabel Hardman in Brussels and James Forsyth in London join Spectator

Friday

Tom Goodenough

Watch: David Cameron hails EU deal as giving ‘special status’ to UK

[audioplayer src=”http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/spectatorpodcastspecial-davidcameronseudeal/media.mp3″ title=”Isabel Hardman, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the EU deal” startat=18] Listen [/audioplayer] A deal has finally been struck amongst EU leaders in an agreement hailed by David Cameron as giving ‘special status’ to Britain. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, the Prime Minister said: ‘Within the last hour I have negotiated a deal to give the United Kingdom special status inside the European Union. I will fly back to London tonight and update the cabinet at 10am tomorrow morning. This deal has delivered on the commitments I made at the beginning of this negotiation process. Britain will be permanently out of ever-closer union, never part

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

David Cameron’s final EU deal: the details

[audioplayer src=”http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/spectatorpodcastspecial-davidcameronseudeal/media.mp3″ title=”Isabel Hardman, James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson discuss the EU deal” startat=18] Listen [/audioplayer] Finally. In the past few minutes, EU leaders have reached a deal on David Cameron’s renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with Europe which gives the UK ‘special status’ in the EU. As is now traditional, Donald Tusk’s Twitter feed is first with the news. Details of the deal are starting to leak, including a seven-year limit to Cameron’s so-called “emergency brake” on migrant benefits and an addition to the text that makes it clear that references to “ever-closer union” do not apply to the United Kingdom. The leaders have also agreed to a non-euro emergency brake which

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

David Cameron cancels Friday night Cabinet

David Cameron had hoped to agree a deal today, return from Brussels this evening, hold a special Cabinet meeting and then start the referendum campaign. So much for that. We have news from the European Council summit, and it’s not about the eating arrangements, apparently (though for those on the edge of their seats about what time ‘breakfast’ will be, it’s currently planned for 8pm). Cameron has cancelled the Cabinet meeting A Number 10 source said: ‘The Council are planning to reconvene at 8pm. Before then, the Prime Minister is likely to have a number of further bilaterals including with the Danish PM, the Czech PM and the Dutch PM. And