One of the inevitable consequences of Lord Lawson’s announcement that he’d vote ‘No’ in an EU referendum is that the ideological divides over Europe in the Tory party are starting to open up again. This lunchtime, two Conservative MPs debated one another on the issue, which must be confusing for the electorate, and also shows that it will be very difficult for any Tory leader to unite the party on the issue, even once the referendum has taken place.
Margot James, a member of the new Number 10 policy board who also speaks for the pro-European Mainstream Conservatives on trade and investment, sparred with Bernard Jenkin, who isn’t just a eurosceptic: he’s a eurosceptic who wants a referendum now, rather than a few years’ time, and who wants to leave the EU. But their debate was as much about Lord Lawson’s killer point that Britain can’t expect to gain much from a renegotiation as it was about what they think about Europe in general. Jenkin argued it was ‘moonshine’ that the Prime Minister could reverse the effects of the Nice, Amsterdam and Lisbon treaties. It seems that David Cameron needs to make the case to his party that he really can achieve something impressive as much as he needs to make the case for that impressive reform to European leaders.
It’s also worth mulling the make-up of the policy board. The most eurosceptic member is George Eustice, who is a member of the Fresh Start Group which supports a renegotiation. If the board members are to be used to defend the Prime Minister’s abilities to win back powers, Number 10 needs to ensure there is a eurosceptic voice speaking as well, so that those in the Bernard Jenkin camp don’t feel that their views are being sidelined again.
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