UK Cabinet agrees to remain EU member

British prime minister says Britain will vote on whether to remain in the EU on June 23.

David Cameron also said his cabinet has agreed to recommend UK remains in a reformed EU.

Speaking outside his Number 10 Downing Street residence, Cameron said: "I will go to parliament and propose that the British people decide our future in Europe through an in-out referendum on Europe on Thursday the 23rd of June." 

He went on saying that Britain is approaching one of the biggest decision it will face in its lifetime - whether it wants to remain in the EU or leave, adding that it is about jobs, financial security and how the Britons cooperate to keep their country strong.

"My responsibility is to speak plainly about what I believe is right about our country... My recommendation is clear. I believe that Britain will be safer and stronger and better off in a reformed European Union.. I do not love Brussels. I love Britain. I am the first to say that there are many ways for Europe to improve,” he noted. 

Cameron made the statements after a cabinet meeting to discuss details of an EU deal signed as part of the bloc’s efforts to keep the UK as its member.

Earlier, he had hailed the deal for granting Britain special status saying he would campaign hard now to convince voters to stay in the bloc that Britain joined in 1973.

The agreement reached after two days of intense negotiations, guarantees that Britain will never be forced to bail out members of the eurozone. The deal also gives Britain the right to supervise financial institutions and markets to preserve financial stability.

Cameron has suggested that his ministers will be free to reach an independent decision on the prospect of a "Brexit," as Britain leaving the bloc is called.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove has already indicated that he favors leaving the EU — a position Cameron called "disappointing."
Home Secretary Theresa May indicated she will back the deal and support Cameron's position, as has Treasury chief George Osborne.

Though British voters are split over membership, betting odds have moved further in favor of Britain remaining in the EU after Cameron's deal, according to bookmaker Ladbrokes.

 Pro-Europeans warn an exit could trigger the break-up of the UK by prompting another Scottish independence vote. 

Earlier, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, described the deal which David Cameron negotiated in Brussels as a “sideshow”, but reiterated that Labour would be campaigning to keep Britain in the EU. 

But, opponents of EU membership say Britain would prosper outside what they say is a doomed Germany-dominated bloc that punches way below its weight on the world stage.

The issue of Europe has divided the Conservatives for three decades and played a major role in the downfall of Cameron's two Conservative predecessors, Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

A London-based analyst Robert Oulds says the method of the Conservative government is undemocratic as most policies particularly when it comes to the EU memberships have been adopted behind closed doors.

In an interview with Press TV, Director of the Bruges Group went on saying that Cameron has decided to remain a member of the EU as he is a pro-EU campaigner and to achieve his goal, he has bypassed democratic accountability.
 

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