EU referendum: Leaders 'not happy' with UK reform proposals
- 1 hour ago
- EU Referendum
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None of David Cameron's fellow EU leaders are happy with his reform proposals as they stand, a source close to the negotiations has told the BBC.
Mr Cameron is holding talks with EC President Donald Tusk over the deal aimed at keeping Britain in the EU.
He faces two weeks of "difficult" negotiations to get all member states to back the deal, the source added.
"In a sense, this is a good sign: it means there is some kind of balance in the proposal," they said.
"There is a lot of frustration and concerns. It's clear the negotiations are going to be difficult," they added.
Among the potential sticking points were Mr Cameron's proposals on changing the EU rules to make it easier for member states to band together to block EU laws - and plans to protect non-eurozone countries.
'Unacceptable'
These two demands will need work to incorporate them into future EU treaties.
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The EU source said some member states indicated to Mr Tusk that they found that "unacceptable".
Other issues include Mr Cameron's "emergency brake" on in-work benefits and his desire to exempt to the UK from a commitment to "ever closer union".
The prime minister is aiming to get a final deal on his reform package, hammered out with Donald Tusk, at a summit on 18-19 February.
Such objections are not unusual at this stage of difficult EU negotiations.
Mr Cameron is also under pressure at home from some members of his own cabinet, who have been prevented from speaking out in favour of a British exit.
A cabinet source has told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg that the prime minister has promised to stop speaking publicly about the benefits of his EU deal until the renegotiations are complete.
"There is agreement that the rules should be the same for both sides, and that no member of the cabinet should speak out until the PM has returned from Brussels with his deal. Downing St have given a renewed guarantee that everyone will be held to those rules equally," the source said.
Mr Cameron has been meeting key players from the EU in London, holding talks with Mr Tusk, Slovak PM Robert Fico, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Swedish PM Stefan Lofven and Belgian PM Charles Michel, in the margins of the Syria donors' conference in London.
'Washed-out lottery ticket'
He will also meet European Parliament president Martin Schulz amid continued speculation about the role MEPs could play in deciding the fate of any deal.
Mr Cameron spent two hours attempting to convince MPs to back the deal on Wednesday, urging them to vote "with their hearts" in the referendum and talking up his "emergency brake" on in-work benefits which he claims will help curb immigration.
But some of his backbenchers say he has missed the point and should be focusing instead on the issue of sovereignty, which they say lies at the heart of the UK's relationship with EU.
In a Commons debate, Tory MP John Baron mocked the "red card" which would allow measures from Brussels to be blocked, but only if 55% of EU national parliaments agree.
He told MPs: "The so-called 'red card' system is nothing more than a washed-out lottery ticket.
"It would be like a football referee getting out his 'fraction' of a red card, only then having to consult with 14 other officials before deciding what to do - by which time the game is over.
"The government's 'emergency brake' proposal is flawed and feeds a negative narrative about immigrants.
"It ignores the fact that almost all EU immigrants come to Britain to work hard, and that large-scale EU immigration can not be stopped whilst we adhere to the EU's 'freedom of movement' principle."
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