An election vote on our EU future, hints Hague

[Osprey]

The Foreign Secretary indicates that a so-called “in-out referendum” is likely to be rejected by the Government in favour of an election manifesto pledge to return powers to Britain.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hague says that consent for a “fresh settlement” with the EU is likely to be in a “general election or referendum”.

There had been growing speculation that the Prime Minister was preparing to order a referendum after he said that “consent” from the public on Britain’s membership of the EU would be necessary.

However, Mr Hague makes clear that this “consent” could be in the form of voters backing the Conservatives at the next general election.

The referendum issue is expected to be one of the key themes of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, which begins tomorrow.

In the next few weeks, the Government will set out detailed plans for a major Whitehall exercise to analyse which powers are determined by Brussels and which are set in this country.

The findings will be published in a document during 2014, paving the way for the Conservatives to set out their plans for repatriating powers for the election in 2015.

“There’s likely to come the time that a fresh settlement will require fresh consent either in a general election or a referendum,” the Foreign Secretary says.

Mr Hague adds that the “balance of competency” review would be used to inform the public about the future shape of the country’s relationship with Europe.

Asked whether the next general election would effectively serve as a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, Mr Hague replied: “On that you’ll obviously have to wait for our manifesto for the next election … The Prime Minister has said that he will speak, that he will make a speech on that in the coming months.

"So I think there will be more answers to that at that time.”

However, Mr Hague says he and the Prime Minister support Britain’s membership of the EU, and that the plans were about returning social, business and employment lawmaking to Britain rather than pulling out.

“I haven’t seen anything as Foreign Secretary that shows we should be leaving the European Union,” he says. “I see many difficulties, I deal with hundreds of them every day but I support being in the single market …I remain a supporter of our membership of the EU.”

The Conservatives begin gathering in Birmingham today for the annual party conference with Mr Cameron under growing pressure from the Right wing of his party. On Friday Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, called on the Prime Minister to deliver more “veto moments”. Liam Fox and David Davis, senior figures in the party, also demanded a more Right-wing agenda to appeal to core supporters.

However, Mr Hague warns against a move to the Right. “I stand very firmly on the ground which Ed Miliband says he is now fighting for … which the Conservative Party successfully occupied again under David Cameron’s leadership,” he says.

[The Lawspeaker]

Are there any elections coming up ?

[Graham]

It's a Conservative & Liberal Democrat Coalition.

Over Nick Cleggs dead body will it happen. He's as big a Europhile as it gets. Speaks fluent English, French, Dutch, German, and Spanish. Married a Spaniard & is half Dutch.

The Tories will not get the vote through, as a minority party & Ed Milibands Labour are steam rolling the Tories at the polls.