Papers comment on David Davis’s article on the EU
As published in the Hull Daily Mail:
MP claims exit from EU shouldn’t be feared
East Yorks: David Davis has become the most senior Conservative to support a British exit from the European Union.
The Haltemprice and Howden MP said a serious debate was needed on the issue.
He said: “We have to start recognising that leaving is a real possibility and make our partners recognise that.
“This starts with realising that exit from Europe is not something to be afraid of. It could be a huge opportunity and is less risky than the scaremongers would have you believe.”
Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged an in-out referendum over Europe in the next parliament.
Mr Davis said: “The choice in the referendum should be between exit, which offers opportunities for growth greater than we currently enjoy, or a radically reformed Europe in which Britain can shed job-destroying red tape while recovering control of matters vital to the very nature of the country.”
As published in the Express:
‘A new future for Britain’ Senior Tory urges David Cameron to leave EU as Ukip rise again
Senior Tory MP David Davis has told David Cameron that Britain needs to get out of the European Union, as Ukip look on course to win next month’s European parliamentary elections.
Rejecting arguments that departure would be damaging for British jobs and trade, Mr Davis claimed leaving the EU could trigger “a bright new future” for the UK.
Mr Davis insisted that exit is “neither high-risk nor frightening” for Britain, giving it a strong bargaining position in any membership renegotiation if it makes clear it is ready to walk away.
The former Tory chairman, who fought David Cameron for the Conservative Party leadership in 2005, urged the Prime Minister to pursue a “much more ambitious” strategy than currently envisaged in the renegotiation he has promised if he wins next year’s general election.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Davis said that it was now generally assumed that the eurosceptic UK Independence Party will win the European elections on May 22, and said that Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s TV debates with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had put the question of whether Britain was better off in or out “in the centre of public debate”.
Britain has to recognise that “leaving is a real possibility, and make our partners recognise that”, he said.
He dismissed as “nonsense” Mr Clegg’s claims that Britain would be isolated outside the EU and would struggle to forge acceptable trade deals.
a seat in Westminster [PA]
This would be a revolution of expectations and ambition
David Davies
As the world’s sixth largest economy with the fourth largest military budget and membership of the G7, G20, UN Security Council, Nato, OECD and Commonwealth, “little if any” of Britain’s influence and reputation is dependent on the EU, said Mr Davis.
“The remaining EU members have a massive vested interest in ongoing free trade with the UK,” he said.
“If a British exit happened tomorrow, we would be the EU’s single biggest market, accounting for 21 per cent of its exports, so our negotiating clout would be enormous.
“In short, we can get a good deal from the EU, and the EU knows it. Exit is neither high-risk nor frightening.
“Just as the ability to walk away means you can strike a better price for that house or car, so having an attractive alternative allows us to get a better deal in Europe.
“Any deal to stay in should be much more ambitious than anything the Government has so far suggested.”
Britain should demand a permanent opt-out from future EU proposals which it feels are not in its national interest, said Mr Davis. It should follow Switzerland in allowing EU citizens to take up residence only if they have a job and health insurance and subject to national immigration limits.
And any renegotiation should keep Britain outside the European Arrest Warrant, strip the European Court of its say in the national justice system, exempt every small business that does not trade with the EU from single market regulations and revamp the Brussels regulatory system to cut thousands of rules, he said.
“The choice in the referendum should be between exit, which offers opportunities for growth greater than we currently enjoy, or a radically reformed Europe in which Britain can shed the job-destroying red tape while recovering control of matters vital to the very nature of our country,” said Mr Davis.
“They are two attractive futures – both better than where we are now.”
And he made clear he does not believe the UK has any reason to fear quitting the EU.
He said: “Far from spelling the end of Britain’s international influence, EU exit could be the catalyst for an intellectual, economic and political liberation.
“It would give Britain the chance to forge new relationships, pursue a new strategy reflecting our historical connections and global standing, and exploit our language, law, scientific, cultural and commercial creativity, and even our time zone.
“This would be a revolution of expectations and ambition.”Nick Clegg in two TV debates [PA]
Mr Davis’ arguments came as a YouGov and Sunday Times poll of European Parliament voting intention showed Ukip had risen from 23 per cent to 28 per cent – putting them in second place.
Among those who said they were certain to vote in the May elections, Ukip climbed to 34 four per cent, seven points above Labour and a staggering 14 above the Tories.
Of the four party leaders, Nigel Farage is the only one who received a positive rating, with a net score of plus 25.
Another poll has suggested the Ukip leader also stands a good chance of getting a seat in Westminster at the next general election.
Some 33 per cent of people in Folkestone, where Mr Farage is considering standing, said they would vote for the party.
This puts him just three per cent behind sitting conservative MP Damian Collins.
Commentators have said a strong campaign in the Kent constituency could see Mr Farage take the seat as the party’s popularity continues to grow.
As published in the Daily Mail:
Get ready to quit the EU now, Davis tells the Tories as he tears into Cameron and predicts UKIP will triumph at Euro elections
• Former Tory chairman David Davis urged Government to open talks with Brussels about Britain quitting the EU
• Davis, who challenged Cameron for leadership in 2005, said PM has made a mess of winning back powers from the EU
• He said quitting the EU would be a ‘revolution’ and would spur jobs
• The senior politician could be positioning himself for another leadership bid should UKIP embarrass the Conservatives in next month’s Euro elections
The Tory revolt over Europe took a dramatic turn last night after senior Conservative David Davis called on the Government to open talks with Brussels on quitting the EU.
Former Tory chairman Mr Davis tore into David Cameron, accusing him of making a mess of his pledge to win back powers from the EU.
‘Scaremongers’ who said Britain would collapse if it decided to go it alone were talking nonsense, said Mr Davis. Quitting the EU would be like a ‘revolution’ and would boost UK jobs, wages, world power, arts and prestige, he added.
Significantly, his intervention comes days after two televised political debates in which anti-EU leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, crushed pro-EU Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
And it will spark claims that Mr Davis is turning himself into a Tory version of Mr Farage, ready to exploit the leadership crisis Mr Cameron would face if UKIP makes big gains in next month’s Euro elections.
Mr Davis, who was beaten by Mr Cameron in the 2005 party leadership contest and who is a former Minister for Europe, writes in today’s Mail on Sunday: ‘Exit from Europe is not something to be afraid of. Some of the greatest growth spurts in history have occurred after revolutions: this would be a revolution of expectations and ambition.’
Britain should quit the EU or force Brussels to make massive concessions, he says.
Mr Cameron’s refusal to threaten to leave if he did not win back key powers in renegotiations before an ‘in / out’ referendum was a big error, he says.
Former SAS reservist Mr Davis predicts that Mr Farage will win the Euro elections, humiliating the Conservatives.
His comments fly in the face of Mr Cameron’s order to Euro rebels not to rock the boat in the run-up to the May elections.
A Tory MP ally of the Prime Minister claimed last night: ‘Davis is trying to use Farage to reheat his leadership ambitions. He won’t get anywhere.’
But a Eurosceptic Conservative MP said: ‘Davis is saying what many of us think but are too scared to say – for now. It will be different if we get thrashed by UKIP. We will all be singing the same tune as Davis.’
As published in the London Evening Standard:
EU exit ‘not frightening’: Davis
Leaving the European Union could trigger “a bright new future” for the UK, senior Conservative MP David Davis has said.
Rejecting arguments of “scaremongers” that departure would be damaging to jobs and trade, Mr Davis insisted that exit is “neither high-risk nor frightening” for Britain, giving it a strong bargaining position in any membership renegotiation if it makes clear it is ready to walk away.
The former Tory chairman, who fought David Cameron for the Tory leadership in 2005, urged the Prime Minister to pursue a “much more ambitious” strategy than currently envisaged in the renegotiation he has promised if he wins next year’s general election.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Davis said that it was now generally assumed that the eurosceptic UK Independence Party will win the European elections on May 22, and said that Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s TV debates with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had put the question of whether Britain was better off in or out “in the centre of public debate”.
Britain has to recognise that “leaving is a real possibility, and make our partners recognise that”, he said.
He dismissed as “nonsense” Mr Clegg’s claims that Britain would be isolated outside the EU and would struggle to forge acceptable trade deals.
As the world’s sixth largest economy with the fourth largest military budget and membership of the G7, G20, UN Security Council, Nato, OECD and Commonwealth, “little if any” of Britain’s influence and reputation is dependent on the EU, said Mr Davis.
“The remaining EU members have a massive vested interest in ongoing free trade with the UK,” he said.
“If a British exit happened tomorrow, we would be the EU’s single biggest market, accounting for 21% of its exports, so our negotiating clout would be enormous.
“In short, we can get a good deal from the EU, and the EU knows it. Exit is neither high-risk nor frightening.
“Just as the ability to walk away means you can strike a better price for that house or car, so having an attractive alternative allows us to get a better deal in Europe. Any deal to stay in should be much more ambitious than anything the Government has so far suggested.”
Britain should demand a permanent opt-out from future EU proposals which it feels are not in its national interest, said Mr Davis. It should follow Switzerland in allowing EU citizens to take up residence only if they have a job and health insurance and subject to national immigration limits.
And any renegotiation should keep Britain outside the European Arrest Warrant, strip the European Court of its say in the national justice system, exempt every small business that does not trade with the EU from single market regulations and revamp the Brussels regulatory system to cut thousands of rules, he said.
“The choice in the referendum should be between exit, which offers opportunities for growth greater than we currently enjoy, or a radically reformed Europe in which Britain can shed the job-destroying red tape while recovering control of matters vital to the very nature of our country,” said Mr Davis.
“They are two attractive futures – both better than where we are now.”
And he made clear he does not believe the UK has any reason to fear quitting the EU: “Far from spelling the end of Britain’s international influence, EU exit could be the catalyst for an intellectual, economic and political liberation.
“It would give Britain the chance to forge new relationships, pursue a new strategy reflecting our historical connections and global standing, and exploit our language, law, scientific, cultural and commercial creativity, and even our time zone.
“This would be a revolution of expectations and ambition.”
Irish Taioseach Enda Kenny told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “I believe that the European Union is far stronger with a strong Britain in it.
“I agree with David Cameron very strongly about the single market. I agree with David Cameron about the extent of the digital capacity. We have to deal with the energy system, we have to eliminate further red tape, we have to get the trans-Atlantic trade talks in operation. This means millions of jobs on either side of the Atlantic.
“Europe would be very much weaker without a strong Britain in there and we do hope that the potential of the 500 million (people) market is eminently understood by British business.
“It’s something that we would consider would be very much in Britain’s interest, but that’s a matter, obviously, at the end of the day, for the British people.”
As published in The Independent
EU exit could herald ‘bright future’ for UK;
News in Brief in Europe
Leaving the EU could trigger “a bright new future” for the UK, the senior Conservative MP David Davis has said.
Rejecting arguments of “scaremongers” that leaving the EU would affect jobs and trade, Mr Davis wrote in The Mail on Sunday that it was “neither high-risk nor frightening”.