No UK referendum on EU this year, says David Cameron

British prime minister David Cameron yesterday said there was only a “pretty slim” chance he could bring forward to 2015 a referendum on the country’s membership of the EU which he wants to hold if he wins a national election in May.

Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Europe on issues such as immigration and then hold a referendum by 2017, hoping to prevent a rise in eurosceptic sentiment which has pushed some Conservative Party voters towards the anti-EU UK Independence Party.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said his party would do a deal to allow Cameron to form a government if the election fails to produce a clear winner. However, Farage said the price of such a deal would be a referendum before the end of the year.

Yesterday, Cameron poured cold water on that prospect. “The sooner that renegotiation can get done the better, but frankly the chances of doing that inside 2015 after an election in May are pretty slim,” he said. Cameron added he would not consider any deal making until after the election.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday the EU and Britain needed each other. A ‘Brexit’ would, he said, not be in the interests of Britain nor of the continental states and Ireland.

Reuters