Cameron vows no 2nd referendum on EU membership
Print Edition
PRIME Minister David Cameron said yesterday that there would be no second EU referendum, knocking down suggestions that Britain could vote “no” in a June vote to try to get better membership terms.
“Sadly I have known a number of couples who have begun divorce proceedings but I do not know any who have begun divorce proceedings in order to renew their marriage vows,” he said, referring to the possibility of a second vote.
Earlier, London Mayor Boris Johnson said he would support the “out” campaign, increasing the chance of a British exit, or Brexit. But he seemed to suggest that a no vote could get a better deal by saying “they (the EU) only really listen to a population when it says no.”
Cameron was trying to sell his case for Britain staying in the European Union to parliament but facing hostility from his own lawmakers and a plunging pound after Johnson threw his support behind the exit campaign.
Johnson said on Sunday that he supported leaving the bloc, dealing a blow to Cameron who had vowed to campaign to stay in after striking a deal to reform Britain’s EU ties last week.
The mayor’s announcement, seen as increasing the chance of a British EU exit by giving the “leave” campaign a much-needed figurehead, pushed sterling toward its biggest loss in almost six years against the dollar yesterday. Government bond prices also fell.
Cameron shrugged off Johnson’s statement, saying the issue of EU membership cut through usual party political lines.
“The prime minister has been clear all along there will be different views on different sides of the argument,” his spokeswoman said.
“Our message to everyone — bearing in mind that it is people up and down the country that will have a vote in this referendum rather than just one individual — is that we want Britain to have the best of both worlds.”
Johnson, who has been London mayor since 2008, defended his decision to go against his sometime ally, saying those who suggested Britain could not thrive outside the EU were the same people who wanted the country to make the “catastrophic mistake” of joining the euro single currency.
“There are people who don’t think that Britain could stand on her very own two feet and all the rest of it. I have to say I think that is profoundly wrong,” Johnson told the London Assembly, the elected body which holds the mayor to account.
His decision to lobby against Cameron was welcomed by leaders of the “leave” campaign, which has been dogged by splits between factions and lacked a uniting political figure to spread its message that Britain needs to regain its sovereignty.
“I’m delighted that he’s come out for leaving the European Union,” former finance minister and campaign chairman Nigel Lawson told BBC radio. “He is a superb campaigner so he’s a great asset.”
Odds of a British exit rose to a 33 percent chance from about 29 percent after the announcement.
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