Cameron seals EU deal as talks go to the wire

There were, after negotiations were extended by 14 hours, some compromises over welfare and restrictions on the Eurozone.

The deal in Brussels last night paves the way for an in/out referendum in the UK before the summer.

The development came late on the second day of gruelling talks in Brussels between leaders of the 28 member-states, which saw the Prime Minister face opposition to proposals to restrict migrant benefits and provide new protections for countries outside the single currency.

Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite broke the news in a tweet from the round-table discussions: “Agreement #UKinEU done. Drama over.” And Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: “David Cameron fought hard for Britain. Good deal for UK and for EU. Congrats!”

And minutes later, the breakthrough was officially confirmed by European Council president Donald Tusk, who said: “Deal. Unanimous support for new settlement for UK in EU.”

The agreement clears the way for David Cameron to return immediately to London and call a special Cabinet meeting today to endorse the deal and set a date for the long-awaited referendum – widely expected to come on June 23.

The meeting will also give a green light to Eurosceptic ministers like Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling to go out and campaign for Britain to leave Europe, and put pressure on waverers like London mayor Boris Johnson and Cabinet minister Michael Gove to spell out where they stand.

Sources close to Gove declined to comment on increasingly confident reports that the Justice Secretary is preparing to throw his weight behind Brexit.

The deal came after behind-the-scenes talks which stretched through Thursday night and most of yesterday, as Cameron and Tusk struggled to keep Britain’s renegotiation on track.

The 28 leaders had initially been due to gather early in the morning for an “English breakfast” meeting to approve a package of reforms to the UK’s membership, but breakfast became brunch, lunch, high tea and then dinner as opponents of the deal dug in their heels.

The delays forced Cameron to scrap plans to summon ministers for a Cabinet meeting last night.

Cameron had faced concerns from eastern European countries like Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia over his call for an “emergency brake” on in-work benefits for migrant EU workers to extend for as long as 13 years.

And the same nations put up stiff resistance to the UK’s demand to impose cuts in child benefits for offspring living abroad on 34,000 existing claimants as well as future migrants.

Leaked copies of the deal indicated that a compromise deal will allow existing claimants to carry on receiving child benefit in full for offspring living overseas until 2020, but that all member states will then be able to pay them at the rate of their home country.

This rate – usually lower than that paid to British parents – will be applicable immediately to all new migrants whose children live abroad after the agreement comes into force.

The agreement falls well short of the outright ban on sending child benefit abroad initially demanded by Cameron. A lengthy section making clear that the phrase “ever closer union” in EU treaties is not “in legal terms an equivalent to political integration” was struck out, in an apparent response to Belgian sensitivities. But the new text makes clear that EU treaties will be amended to make clear that references to ever closer union “do not apply to the United Kingdom”.

Pro-European campaigners take to capital’s streets

AS negotiations faltered, and the weary-eyed European leaders polished off their ninth or tenth can of Red Bull in Brussels, some 475 miles away there was a little bit more cheer as pro-EU campaigners took to the streets of Edinburgh, writes Andrew Learmonth.

Well, there was cheer from the members of the Scotland Stronger in Europe campaign team, the tired commuters heading for the rush hour trains at Edinburgh Waverley seemed more keen to get home. 

It was the start of the ground campaign for Scotland Stronger in Europe; the team head through to Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street this morning with similar events planned all over the country before the referendum comes.

John Edward, the campaign’s senior spokesperson, was positive and said the campaign was in a good place to “connect” with Scots voters.

“Ours is a positive campaign, which we are taking to the streets of Scotland to give people the facts about the many ways in which we gain by being in the EU,” he said. 

“Scotland Stronger In Europe is a non-party campaign – led by people from walks of life outside the world of politics – and we believe we are well placed to connect with the people of Scotland on that basis.

“We are stronger, better off and safer as part of the European Union – most people in Scotland share that view, and our job is win the win the argument and motivate people to vote for that positive future.”

The campaigning came as a poll in yesterday’s Daily Record put support for the remain campaign at 66 per cent in Scotland – up a point since last month – with leave down to 34 per cent. The survey, carried out by Survation, also saw 28 per cent of Scots say they were more likely to back independence if the UK left the EU.

A UK-wide poll for TNS put leave ahead, with 36 per cent of respondents saying they would vote to leave, and 34 would vote to remain. Despite the lead for remain in that poll, 38 per cent said they thought the UK would vote remain, while 28 per cent thought it would leave.

There was also a divide among the ages, with 48 per cent of people over 55 saying would vote to leave, while 57 per cent of 18-24 year olds said they would vote remain.