LONDON: Tory leadership contender David Davis has outlined his plans to secure powers back to Britain from Europe, as he accelerated his campaign for the position. If he becomes the country's prime minister, he said, he would order two referendums to seek a full-scale return of power from Europe to Britain. The second poll will help the voters to judge if he had delivered the goods.
"I want to see an 'open Europe' where all powers can be brought back from any country," he said in an interview to The Sun, adding the country should secure control over fishing, asylum, immigration and social policy. "We would run our country in a way which would be better for everybody," he said.
He said he would go to the Brussels negotiating table and at the end put the outcome to a second referendum so that the country will have "authority to look the European Commission in the eye and say this is the view of the British people".
Davis, however, does not suggest full withdrawal from the European Union.
Analysts described his tactic as more hardline than front runner David Cameron's suggestion to pull Tory MEPs out of the EU-friendly European People's Parties group.
Any amendments to the intended policy areas will be problematic as it would require agreement from other EU states on nearly all the existing treaties, which make up the European Union. In case there is no agreement among the member-countries, Davis will either be forced to withdraw Britain from EU or he will have to concede defeat.
EU's proposed constitution, which was voted down in referendums by the French and the Dutch, would for the first time have created a formal mechanism for a state to withdraw from the EU.
Davis' rival Ken Clarke, who is now out of the contest, asked Davis and Cameron not to compete on Euroscepticism. He claimed most of the rights mentioned by Davis have not been ceded to Europe. He said he is saddened to see Europe becoming an issue in the Tory leadership election in Britain.
The former chancellor said the suggestion to take power back was "completely irresponsible".
"He is talking about returning powers to Britain which have never been lost, in some cases. It is just competing with his rival in showing he can be eurosceptic," said Clarke.
Davis also suggested a new British Bill of Rights with priority over European human rights laws.
Posted
on : Thu, 03 Nov 2005 06:35 GMT | Politics News
By : Anne Philips
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