Mark Pritchard says it’s EU referendum or rebellion
Monday 19th September 2011, 11:29AM BST.
Shropshire MP Mark Pritchard today warned David Cameron he must call a referendum on Europe next year or risk a rebellion from his own party.
Mr Pritchard, secretary of the Conservative’s powerful backbench 1922 committee, claimed Britain had become “enslaved to Europe”.
The Wrekin MP said the EU had become an “occupying force” which was eroding British sovereignty.
He warned the Prime Minister that Tory support for Britain’s membership of the European Union could “no longer be taken for granted”.
Mr Pritchard urged voters to be given a choice between the political union and moving to a “trade only” relationship.
He added: “The British have grown weary of Europe. The Coalition government should end decades of political appeasement by successive governments and champion freedom and democracy for Britain – and agree a referendum.”
Mr Pritchard described his proposal as “a moderate proposition that would attract voters from across the political spectrum”.
His intervention comes amid frustration among Tory Eurosceptics at the party leadership’s failure to act more decisively on Europe and return some powers to Westminster in the face of entrenched opposition from Liberal Democrat coalition partners.
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I doubt rusty Dave is listening – it is about time the 1922 committee stopped threatening & actually did something regarding the democratic deficit within the EU.
The EU is a club for the political elite – a never ending gravy train that taxpayers did not vote for.
Baroness Ashton is the most highly paid & powerful female politican in the world – yet the lady has NEVER faced an electorate in her life & there is no way for the people to remove her from post.
The old USSR did not suffer a defeat – it morphed in the EUSSR & as a British citizen & taxpayer I am absolutely fed up with the political elites from all three partys denying us the ballot box.
How much longer before the peoples anger at the lack of a ballot spills over into armed insurgency? Britain OUT!
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Totally agree….
but then again the reason no one will give us a referendum is everyone knows we will have the audactity to vote OUT.
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