David Cameron attacks Nick Clegg’s EU veto claim
David Cameron yesterday slapped down a claim by Nick Clegg that Britain would one day sign up to the EU treaty he vetoed.
The Deputy Prime Minister said it would be accepted by the Government «in due course».
But the Prime Minister told MPs there was no chance of him changing his mind.
He said: «The situation is very straightforward. We did not sign the treaty because we did not get the safeguards that we received so that situation is not going to change.
«What our coalition partners put into the manifesto at the next election is entirely up to them.»
Mr Cameron’s remarks came as a draft treaty, agreed by the 26 European leaders who chose to forge ahead without the UK, emerged with significant concessions for Britain.
A leaked draft of the treaty changes that leaders will try to agree at the summit on January 30 shows that controversial reforms of the single market — which Britain has furiously campaigned to stop — have been left out.
Mr Cameron argued the single market — which gives British companies the same rights as other European firms looking for work in the EU — should not be tampered with, while Britain is excluded from discussions.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor George Osborne told MPs at the Treasury Select Committee yesterday that Britain was «prepared to consider» extra funding for the International Monetary Fund to help struggling Eurozone countries.
Mr Osborne said as long as other nations were included in the contribution he would consider increasing the UK’s contribution — but slammed the idea of a «unilateral» contribution from EU nations.
The Chancellor also issued a sharp warning to the banks against making big bonus payouts this year. Mr Osborne said industry had not had «a particularly successful year» which should be reflected in the level of the awards.
Giving evidence to the Commons Treasury Committee, he said he would be taking a «keen interest» in the bonuses paid by the part state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland.
«I am clear that — given the fact that this has not been a particularly successful year for banking — you would expect to see bonuses lower this year,» he told the committee.
12/21/2011
— Filed under: Politics
Tags: David Cameron, Nick Clegg
