CRUSADE TO ESCAPE THE EU MARCHES ON NO 10

By Macer Hall, Political Editor

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A SIGNATURE with 100,000 names demanding a referendum over the UK’s EU membership was delivered to 10 Downing Street yesterday.

A cross-party group of MPs and Euro-MPs marched on the Prime Minister’s office to hand over the call for the first official national poll on Britain’s ties with Brussels since 1975.

And the move comes as tensions have been rising within the Coalition over Britain’s relations with the EU.

Independent Euro-MP Nikki Sinclaire, who organised the petition, said: “This is giving voice to more than 100,000 people who want a referendum on membership of the EU.

“This is an argument that has been going on far too long. We must have a referendum, and the Government must abide by the result.”

Labour MP Kate Hoey said: “It’s inevitable now Britain will have a referendum on our EU membership. It’s just a question of when.”

 

Kelvin Hopkins, also a Labour MP, said: “The vast majority of the British population wants a referendum on the country’s EU membership and I think they should have it.

“Europe is in an economic crisis and the EU is doing no good for the eurozone or for us.”

Nigel Dodds, Democratic Unionist Party MP for North Belfast, said: “This is the latest message in the growing demand from people across the UK for a referendum. People have had enough of the EU and they want Britain to get out.”

Ukip Euro-MPs Mike Nattras and Trevor Colman also joined the protest. “We need to end Brussels regulation,” said Mr Nattras.

A growing number of Tory MPs are calling for a major overhaul of relations with the EU, and around 80 are to hold a meeting on Monday in a defiant challenge to the Prime Minister.

Tory backbencher George Eustice, one of the Tory backbench group’s conveners, said that the Prime Minister had “two or three years” to restructure Britain’s links with Brussels. But Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander enraged Conservatives by saying that the economic crisis in the eurozone should mean that Britain worked harder at being a “leading member” of the EU.

Meanwhile, fresh moves for an EU-wide tax on trading in shares and bonds were threatened by the European Commission last night. Brussels officials vowed to press ahead with the 0.1percent financial transaction tax despite opposition from the British Government.

Earlier this year, 373,000 Daily Express readers backed a separate petition calling for the UK to quit the EU.

And nearly 26,000 people have backed a new petition started by the Daily Express on the Government’s official e-petition website also calling for British withdrawal.

You can join our petition for a referendum on leaving the EU at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/356