Cameron
takes swipe at Johnson's plan for second EU referendum– video
David Cameron seems
to ridicule Boris Johnson’s idea to use a vote to leave the EU in
order to secure a better agreement with Brussels. Boris Johnson then
asks Cameron whether his deal “returns sovereignty” to the House
of Commons - and looks on incredulously at the prime minister’s
response
David
Cameron ridicules Boris Johnson's second EU referendum idea
Prime
minister aims jibes at London mayor in Commons as cracks appear in
Tory truce over EU referendum
Nicholas Watt, Alan
Travis and Rowena Mason
Monday 22 February
2016 20.54 GMT
David Cameron has
vented his frustration at Boris Johnson over Europe, as he ridiculed
the mayor of London over his apparent call for a second EU referendum
and came close to accusing him of backing a vote to leave to boost
his chances of one day leading the Conservative party.
In a sign that a
Tory truce on Europe is under severe strain before the official
campaigning has even begun, the prime minister infuriated anti-EU
campaigners by describing Johnson’s idea for a second vote as
undemocratic and one “for the birds”.
As the London mayor
shook his head and shouted rubbish in the Commons chamber, the prime
minister mocked Johnson by likening his idea for a second referendum
to a couple who start divorce proceedings as a way to make up.
“I have known a
number of couples who have begun divorce proceedings,” Cameron said
in remarks that were seen to be aimed at Johnson, who has experienced
trouble in his marriage. “But I do not know any who have begun
divorce proceedings in order to renew their marriage vows.”
Senior Tories say
that the prime minister decided to turn his fire on Johnson because
he felt the London mayor had misled Downing Street over which side he
would support in the referendum. As recently as a week ago the London
mayor told one senior Tory who is helping the prime minister to
prepare for the referendum campaign: “I’m sure I will be with
you.”
The prime minister
held back his most politically stinging remarks to the end of his
prepared statement on the EU deal when he spoke of how his decision
to stand down as prime minister by 2020 showed he was motivated
solely by protecting the national interest.
In comments that
appeared designed to highlight the apparently personal calculations
behind Johnson’s approach to the referendum, the prime minister
said: “I am not standing for re-election. I have no other agenda
than what is best for our country.
“I am standing
here today telling you what I think. My responsibility as prime
minister is to speak plainly about what I believe is right for our
country.”
Friends of the
London mayor said he was not bothered by the prime minister’s
remarks and had not noticed some of the jibes. One friend said:
“C’est la vie. Boris was not remotely angry or bothered. He
noticed the joke about the second vote. But he didn’t notice the
joke about marriage or the [leadership] election.”
But a handful of
Tory MPs later challenged the prime minister at a meeting of the
backbench 1922 committee. Steve Baker, the Tory MP for Wycombe, who
is a leading member of the Vote Leave group, told the prime minister:
“I know how hard it is. But please be kind to Boris.”
David Cameron and
Boris Johnson in the House of Commons. Composite: Parliament TV
The prime minister
reportedly assured the MPs that he would be kind and respectful
towards Tories who want to take Britain out of the EU. As he left the
meeting the prime minister hugged the arch-Eurosceptic MP Philip
Davies and said: “It is love breaking out.”
Baker said: “Boris
has had quite a beating in the press. It was bruising for him in the
Commons. This shows Boris has done this out of personal conviction
because he is paying a price.”
Cameron’s attack
on Johnson came as he delivered a Commons statement on the outcome of
last week’s European council where he succeeded in renegotiating
the terms of the UK’s EU membership after a marathon round of
talks.
Replying to the
prime minister’s statement, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn,
described Cameron’s deal as “largely irrelevant”, saying it
would have no impact on the case to remain in the EU.
The prime minister
also published a white paper outlining his reform plans, which
include a seven-year emergency brake to restrict in-work benefits for
EU migrants. The white paper prompted claims that the government was
reviving the “Project Fear” tactics of the Scottish referendum.
In a foreword to the 43-page document, Cameron wrote: “Leaving
Europe would threaten our economic and our national security.”
Downing Street also
published secondary legislation to set the ground rules for the
referendum. This will formally set the date for 23 June and will
allow the Electoral Commission to open the process to designate lead
campaigns on both sides on 4 March with a deadline for completion on
1 April. The formal campaign will begin on 15 April.
Cameron’s assault
on Johnson came after the London mayor announced on Sunday that
“after a huge amount of heartache” he would support a leave vote.
In his weekly Daily Telegraph column, Johnson appeared to revive his
support for a second referendum on Britain’s relationship with the
EU even if the UK voted to leave.
The suggestion by
the London mayor shows the influence of Dominic Cummings, the Vote
Leave campaign director and former special adviser to Michael Gove,
who has suggested that Cameron should use a leave vote to demand
better terms from the EU.
Cummings believes
the prime minister should hold his nerve if he loses the referendum
and refrain from invoking article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which
would trigger two years of exit negotiations. This would be designed
to put pressure on EU leaders to negotiate a new “grand bargain”
between Britain and the EU.
The prime minister
moved to quash the idea by indicating that he would invoke article 50
“straight away”, thereby triggering a two-year negotiation on a
take-it-or-leave-it exit package. Cameron’s remarks suggests he
would act on Friday 24 June, the day after the referendum, when EU
leaders are due to conclude their annual mid-summer summit.
Cameron’s position
was backed by senior officials in Brussels, who emphasised that “no
means no” in the referendum in June and that a rejection of EU
membership by the British would trigger further negotiations, but
only on the terms of the split.
Mocking Johnson, the
prime minister said: “I won’t dwell on the irony that some people
who want to vote to leave apparently want to use a leave vote to
remain. Having a second renegotiation followed by a second referendum
is not on the ballot paper.
“And for a prime
minister to ignore the express will of the British people to leave
the EU would not just be wrong, it would be undemocratic. On the
diplomacy, the idea that other European countries would be ready to
start a second negotiation is for the birds.”
Downing Street said
that the white paper, titled The Best of Both Worlds – Our Special
Status in a Reformed EU, illustrated the impact of the welfare
reforms that will curb access to in-work benefits for EU migrants. It
said that of the £25bn spent on in-work benefits in the UK in
2013-14, £2.5bn went to migrants from the European Economic Area.
But the document
also paved the way for a potentially controversial change to the
rules on social housing, which will mean that new tenants trying to
get council and other social housing will be required to live in the
local area for four years instead of the current two. The white paper
makes clear that the change in the “residency test” will not just
apply to new migrants but also anyone moving within Britain.
“This is aimed at
ensuring that sufficient affordable housing is available to those
amongst the local population who are on low incomes or otherwise
disadvantaged and who would find it particularly difficult to find a
home on the open market. We will extend this period to four years.”
The Foreign Office
paper says that existing official guidance to local authorities in
England already makes clear that they should require a potential
tenant to live in the area for at least two years before they are
considered for social housing.
Additional reporting
by Ian Traynor
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