Members of parliament (MPs) voted by 544 to 53 supporting the bill, which will next be examined by a committee of MPs before passing through more stages.
"For too long, the people of Britain have been denied their say. For too long, powers have been handed to Brussels over their heads. For too long, their voice on Europe has not been heard. This Bill puts that right," said Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
Labour supported the bill although they opposed it during the general election campaign. Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn said the Labour leadership would campaign strongly in favor of the Britain remaining a part of the EU.
Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
10/6/15
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- The EU referendum will be held as soon as possible, and definitely before the end of 2017, which is the set deadline, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said Tuesday...
"The legislation sets December 31 2017 as the latest possible date for the referendum. The Prime minister [David Cameron] has made clear that we don’t intend to wait until the end of 2017. We will hold the referendum as soon as we are ready to do so," Hammond said Tuesday at the House of Commons, where the MPs started debating legislation aimed at authorizing a referendum on the UK's EU membership.
"So the ball will be firmly in the court of our EU partners. If they embrace our agenda with enthusiasm and facilitate a rapid move forward, we may be able to get to a position where a referendum in 2016 is possible," Hammond said.
Hammond also stressed the need for a more competitive EU, one which is not bogged down by red tape.
"We believe Brussels does have too much power and we believe some of that power should be brought back to European capitals. Bluntly, it needs to become far less bureaucratic and far more competitive. It is time to bring Europe back to the people.".........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/534519--eu-referendum-to-be-held-at-the-earliest-uk-for-sec
9/6/15
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UK's Cameron comes under fresh pressure from own party over EU referendum...
ReplyDeletePrime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday came under fresh pressure to allow his own lawmakers and ministers to vote according to their consciences in a planned in-out referendum on European Union membership.
Graham Brady, a senior Conservative lawmaker and chairman of the party's powerful "1922 committee", urged Cameron, who has pledged to renegotiate Britain's EU ties before holding a referendum by end-2017, to respect the "deeply held views of others" in order to keep his fractious party united.
"I would urge the Government to treat EU membership as a matter of conscience for front and backbenchers alike," Brady wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper........reuters.com
10/6/15