UK’s Cameron will move EU referendum forward if possible | Reuters.
(Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday he would like to bring forward a planned referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union from 2017 if possible.
Under pressure from Eurosceptic members of his own party and the rise in popularity of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s ties with the 28-nation bloc and try to claw back powers to London from Brussels.
He has said he will hold a referendum in 2017 if his Conservatives win a national election in May.
“The referendum must take place before the end of 2017. If I think we could do that earlier I would be delighted. The sooner I can deliver on this commitment of a renegotiation and a referendum … the better ,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
With immigration a top issue for voters ahead of what looks set to be Britain’s closest-fought election in modern history, Cameron has set out plans to restrict EU migrants’ access to welfare payments in Britain.
