EU’s inflated budget is picking public’s pockets, says David Cameron

 
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David Cameron today accused Europe of “picking the pockets” of the public as it was claimed that EU officials are plotting to bypass a British veto on an inflation-busting EU budget deal.

The Prime Minister spoke out as Tory tensions over the budget and even Britain’s future membership of the European Union spilled over in a series of acrimonious speeches.

Addressing business leaders at the CBI conference, Mr Cameron said: “Back here in the UK I have frozen some benefits, I have frozen people’s pay, I have cut some budgets by 30 per cent. It is simply not credible to say when it comes to the European budget we are going to see it go up and up and up.” He added: “I think I have got the people of Europe on my side in arguing that we should stop picking their

pockets and spending more and more money through the EU budget.”

But senior minister Kenneth Clarke said a British veto would backfire. “All that happens is they’ll take no notice of us,” he told BBC radio. He said the freeze proposed by the PM should only be “a starting point” in talks.

Meanwhile it emerged that Brussels officials exasperated by Mr Cameron’s stance are looking at setting annual budgets where the veto would not apply. British politicians reacted with horror. Ukip Euro-MP Marta Andreasen called it a “slap in the face” while Labour’s Claude Moraes said the veto should be sacrosanct.

At the same time, Mr Cameron found himself being pushed by the Tory Right for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. Former Europe minister David Davis said: “The pressure for an ‘in or out’ referendum is building.” He claimed the No campaign only lost the last referendum, held in 1975, because of “shameless” scare tactics.

Mr Clarke, who still attends Cabinet meetings, accused Right-wingers of endangering business by creating doubts about whether Britain would stay in the European club. “An irresponsible debate about it at the moment weakens Britain’s role at a table where a lot of very important things have to be said,” he said.

Also at the CBI, Labour leader Ed Miliband said Mr Cameron was “sleepwalking toward exit” from the EU. He said he was against a referendum at present, because it would harm the economic recovery, but would not rule one out in future. Business Secretary Vince Cable said the PM’s demands for an EU budget freeze were “spot-on”.

But London Mayor Boris Johnson urged Mr Cameron to imitate Margaret Thatcher, saying in the Telegraph: “It is time for David Cameron to put on that pineapple-coloured wig and powder blue suit, whirl his handbag round his head and bring it crashing to the table with the words no, non, nein, neen, nee, ne, ei and ochi, until they get the message.”

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