LIB DEM CALLS FOR A VOTE ON EUROPE
ONE of Nick Clegg’s most senior advisers last night called for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
Tim Farron, the president of the Liberal Democrats, said Britain’s relationship with Brussels had become so “poisonous” that voters deserved the chance to express their views.
The MP, who is tipped to be the party’s next leader, said spats with EU partners reminded him of a “bad marriage” in which vows needed to be either renewed or annulled.
He said the EU had changed enormously since Britons were last given a say in 1975 and that the referendum pledge should form part of the Lib Dems’ next general election manifesto.
The question to be put to voters could be as simple as, “Should Britain remain in the EU?” he suggested.
The MP, who is tipped to be the party’s next leader, said spats with EU partners reminded him of a “bad marriage” in which vows needed to be either renewed or annulled.
He said the EU had changed enormously since Britons were last given a say in 1975 and that the referendum pledge should form part of the Lib Dems’ next general election manifesto.
The question to be put to voters could be as simple as, “Should Britain remain in the EU?” he suggested.
 Our relationship with the EU is poisonous, like a bad marriage  |
In an interview with the Sunday Express, he said: “There’s nothing urgent about it, but I do think our relationship with Europe is poisonous and it’s like a bad marriage, so you either renew the vows or you get out of it.
“I’ll campaign to renew the vows.
“I think there should be a full debate and I’m not opposed to there being and in or out referendum at some point.
“There are mixed views in the Liberal Democrats, but I would take the view that we should have some kind of affirmation or otherwise of our membership because it’s been a long time since we joined, it’s changed since.
“I’ll campaign to renew the vows.
“I think there should be a full debate and I’m not opposed to there being and in or out referendum at some point.
“There are mixed views in the Liberal Democrats, but I would take the view that we should have some kind of affirmation or otherwise of our membership because it’s been a long time since we joined, it’s changed since.
“I think it would be so stupid to leave, but I think we ought to make the case.
“It’s very dangerous of course, but democracy can be, you never know what they choose.”
Such a straightforward pledge would be the first to be made by any of the major parties and an advance on the Lib Dems’ 2010 manifesto, in which they promised a vote if there was a new transfer of power to Brussels.
It also would present a challenge to Labour and the Tories, as well as Ukip, and possibly allow the Lib Dems to attract single-issue votes.
However, Mr Farron doubted the Tories would dare make a similar promise.
He said: “Conservatives are always terribly anti-Europe when they’re in opposition, but when they’re in Government they suddenly realise that grown up politics means you’ve got to stay in the EU.
“So I think David Cameron and the Tory leadership would be very anti a referendum.”
However, his call was welcomed last night by leading Tory Eurosceptic MP Douglas Carswell.
He said: “What’s so refreshing about Tim’s honesty is that he recognises it’s for all the people of Britain to decide and not just those in Westminster.
“Tim is the latest MP of all parties to join our campaign to have a referendum. It’s now becoming unstoppable. It’s exciting.
“The great thing about the AV referendum was that it showed us all how easy it is to have one.
“The genie is now out of the bottle.”
In his interview with the Sunday Express, Mr Farron, 40, a proud northerner who is MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said he was a man of his word.
In 2008, rather than break a promise to constituents, he defied the party whip and resigned from the Lib Dem front bench to vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty during a Commons debate.
His loyalty was rewarded two years later when he massively increased his majority in Cumbria, taking 60 per cent of the vote.
He again kept his principles by voting against the hike in university tuition fees last November.
Although seen as ambitious, Mr Farron, a married father of four, said he would reject any offer of ministerial job, or even a quasi-Government role such as the once accepted by party deputy leader Simon Hughes.
“I would turn an offer down,” he said. “As party president, my job is to be a critical friend of the coalition, but not to be chippy about it all.
“The danger is that we start to assert our independence we might start to sound chippy.
“We must not do that; we’ve just got to be robust and muscular.”
A close friend of the Deputy Prime Minister – the two shared a “very enjoyable evening” at Mr Clegg’s home in Putney, southwest London last Tuesday – he is being talked up as a likely leadership successor, particularly with scandal surrounding Energy Secretary Chris Huhne.
However, asked whether he would want the job, he said: “Certainly not now. I’m not sure if ever, really.”
He also called on the Coalition to improve its communication skills.
Mr Farron said while the Government scored a “eight out 10 for technical merit” for its first year in office, he rated it at merely “five or six for artistic impression”.
On David Cameron’s performance, he said: “He’s good. He’s a very competent PM and quite collegiate.
“Apart from the AV difficulties, I think he’s been a fairly even-handed team leader and I’d give him a 7.5 or eight.”
He rated Mr Clegg similarly for his role as Deputy Prime Minister, but gave him nine out of 10 for his work as party leader.
He said: “He’s gone from being our leader to being a guy who’s in the Cabinet, but he’s definitely improved, and particularly since the New Year with his engagement with the party.
“It was understandable that he would have to spend those first few months learning the ropes in Government and having to build relationships with civil servants.”
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