Lucky David Cameron. His chance to repatriate powers from the EU will come sooner than
he thought. Now the latest EU summit is over, it looks as if there will indeed be change to the Lisbon Treaty — the very document that the Prime Minister and William Hague promised Britain a
referendum on. Last night, Herman Van Rompuy said that EU leaders had promised to “explore the possibility of limited change” in
the weekend talks. Germany since confirmed that provisions for “limited treaty
change” were included in the conclusions. We all know what that means. Indeed, here are the Prime Minister’s words:
The timing is not perfect, but one has to seize these opportunities when they arise. Of course, it is precisely because the UK economy is in trouble that Cameron needs to go into hard-bargain-driving mode.“Treaty change can only happen if it is agreed by all the 27 member states of the European Union. Any treaty change is an opportunity for Britain to advance our national interest.”
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in