In an extraordinary letter described last night as “ridiculous and insulting”, Laurence Mann, Mr Cameron’s political private secretary, said the British people did not want another in or out vote because it would be “artificial and simplistic”.
Instead, he said Britons should be grateful for the EU’s “useful work” on global warming and global poverty and stand by a decision made almost two generations ago on the far less federal body known as the Common Market.
Writing on behalf of the PM, he said: “These are compelling arguments why we believe Britain should be an active member.”
His letter was sent to Anita Segar, a senior Conservative Party member in Mr Cameron’s home county of Oxfordshire and president of the Society for Graduates at Oxford University.
She had written to the Prime Minister last month threatening to resign from the party in protest over his “betrayal” to fulfil manifesto pledges and demanding a referendum.
She urged him to “stand up to the imperious, bombastic and arrogant pirates in Brussels” who are “plundering what remains of our heritage”.
Mr Mann, who is part of Mr Cameron’s inner circle, said there were “strong counter arguments” against the vote, adding: “We had a referendum on that issue in 1975, which produced a very clear result. There is also one argument, in particular, against holding such a referendum that we find irrefutably powerful, namely that most people in our country want to say neither ‘yes’ to everything from the EU, nor ‘no’ to everything.
“The EU is not a matter of everything or nothing. We have, in the past, done well in ensuring that Britain can participate in the collective good carried out by the EU, such as free markets, while keeping out of things that we believe would be bad for our country.
“For example, we are not part of the Schengen Zone but we have kept control of our own border controls, just as, crucially, we have kept the pound.
“We should not lose sight of the EU’s very useful work, such as ensuring that all the nations of Europe are equipped to face the biggest challenges of the 21st Century: global competitiveness, global warming and global poverty.
“These are compelling arguments for why we believe Britain should be an active member. Of course the EU has some serious failings too and there are certainly areas where its powers should be reduced.
“A simplistic in/out referendum, posing an artificial choice that does not do justice to the range of views in the country, would be highly unlikely to settle the question of Britain’s membership of the EU at all.”
However, Tim Montgomerie, the influential editor of the ConservativeHome website said yesterday: “It is both ridiculous and insulting for Cameron’s office to suggest the 1975 referendum means we don’t now need a vote.
“For a start, anyone now aged under 53 was not able or eligible to vote in 1975.
“Just as importantly the EU was then described as the Common Market or the European Economic Community.
“Since then the Common Market has moved very substantially towards a political union.”
To read the full text of Mr Mann’s letter, log on to sundayexpress.co.uk
What a surprise! Cameron thinks the British people want the EU, well if that's true he won't mind putting it to the vote!
It's about time our Government started treating it's people with the respect it deserves, all Governments should be lawfully obliged to have the people vote on any major policy especially when it's about surrendering our sovereignty!!
If we don't get to vote we can hardly call ourselves a democracy, & what hope do we have when all of our laws statutes/acts come only from the EU.
If you haven't signed this petition I urge you to sign it now, even if it's turned down it will highlight the fact that our democracy has been usurped!
