EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron says “we can succeed in this renegotiation”
Negotiations with the United Kingdom's European counterparts are going well, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
Speaking to MPs in the House of Commons, Cameron said that the negotiations which took place last Thursday in Brussels, including a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, were positive. Cameron added:
I've set out the four things we need. First on sovereignty; we want to have more control. Secondly we must make sure the EU adds to competitiveness, not taking away from it.
Third we need to make sure the EU works for those outside the single currency, protects the integrity of the single market and makes sure we don't face discrimination. And lastly we need to make sure are tackling abuses of the right for free movement, as well as making sure our welfare system isn't an artificial draw for people who want to come to Britain.
I want Britain to have the best of both worlds. I believe that we can succeed in this renegotiation and can achieve the best for both the UK and Europe.
The Prime Minister said these are the four areas where fundamental changes is needed and there is a clear process to achieve the changes. Cameron added there will "now be a process of negotiation with all 28 member states leading up to the December European Council".
Last week Cameron said he would announce his full list of demands in November before holding the In/Out referendum before the end of 2017, when negotiations have wrapped up.
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Both the In and Out campaigns have got off the ground in recent weeks, but the Electoral Commission, which regulates party and election finance as well as setting standards for elections, has not picked the official campaign on either side that will be entitled to broadcast campaign speeches, receive a publicly funded grant of up to £600,000 and send a leaflet to each household.
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Meanwhile, polls have been narrowing, with a poll by ICM released by Vote Leave to coincide with the launch of their campaign showing that "In" only has a marginal lead of 53 per cent against the "Out" campaign which has 47 per cent of support.
Also speaking to parliament, Cameron said the UK was praised by the EU for its commitment to aid spending, which has been larger than any other country's save the US, as well as reaffirming that the UK will be taking 20,000 refugees from camps in Syria.
The European Council also continued to agree that a long term solution in Syria cannot involve President Assad or the Islamic State.