Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Lisbon referendum debate reopens in UK

The UK Conservatives would not push for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty if it has been ratified by the Irish by the time they come to power, a senior party member has said.

"If the Irish referendum endorses the [Lisbon] treaty and ratification comes into effect, then our settled policy is quite clear that the treaty will not be reopened," shadow business secretary Ken Clarke – one of the party's most pro-European members – told the BBC's The Politics Show on Sunday (14 June).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

"But it has also been said by David Cameron - and he means it - that it will not rest there, and he will want to start discussions on divisions of competence between national states and the centre of the EU."

The Tories won both the local and the European elections in the UK last week, as voters severly punished the governing Labour Party. Conservative leader David Cameron has repeatedly called for early elections - in which his party would be the most likely winner.

During the election campaign, Mr Cameron had promised to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty if he comes into power before it is ratified in all EU states, as well as to call for the EU to return powers to London.

Earlier this month, the Tory leader tabled a bill under which a UK referendum would be held together with Ireland's second vote on the treaty, expected to take place in the autumn.

According to a report in the Irish Times on Monday, the referendum in Ireland could take place as early as the last week of September or the first week of October.

Mr Cameron did not explain what he would do if the Lisbon Treaty was already in force by the time the Tories got into power, saying only that he "would not let matters rest there."

But Mr Clarke pointed out that the Tories would not request "a solemn treaty renegotiation" in such a case.

"We are talking about sensible discussions about the proper division of responsibilities between nations and the EU in limited areas [such as employment law]," he said.

His remarks were quick to draw reactions from all sides.

Eurosceptic Tory MP Bill Cash accused Mr Clarke of "re-invent[ing] unilaterally Conservative Party policy on the whole of the Lisbon Treaty and European policy."

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, who advocates withdrawal from the EU and whose party came second in the European elections, said: "The Conservatives have no intention of holding a referendum on the Lisbon treaty and all their promises during the European election campaign about holding one can now be seen to be sheer, brass-necked dishonesty. "

Meanwhile, Labour party foreign secretary David Miliband said Mr Clarke's remarks were a proof that the Conservatives' policy on Europe was "in disarray."

"Kenneth Clarke knows that Tory policy to 'not to let matters rest' on the Lisbon Treaty is harebrained and dangerous for British business, but his leader and shadow foreign secretary are committed to it," he was reported as saying by the BBC.

Eurosceptics score major win in Britain

The European elections in Britain saw the UK Independence Party, advocating withdrawal from the EU, scoring its best result ever. The party came second to only the opposition Conservatives, whose leader has pledged to organise a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if he comes in power before its ratification has been completed in all EU states.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  2. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  3. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  4. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  5. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  6. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  7. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating
  8. Syrian mayor in Germany speaks out against AfD

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us