AFP/London
Prime Minister David Cameron stood his ground yesterday against pressure from his party to hold a referendum on British membership of the European Union, but said “the status quo” was unacceptable.Cameron rejected calls from lawmakers in his Conservative party to hold an immediate referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU altogether, but he has signalled he is open to a vote on renegotiating British ties to the union.“There are those who argue for an in-out referendum now,” he told parliament. “I don’t agree with that because I don’t believe leaving the EU would be best for Britain - but nor do I believe that voting to preserve the exact status quo would be right either.”He added: “Just as I believe it would be wrong to have an immediate in-out referendum, so it would also be wrong to rule out any type of referendum for the future.” Cameron said that tackling the “instability and chaos” in the eurozone must be the EU’s first priority.But in the future, Britain should “shape its relationship with Europe in ways that advance our national interest in free trade, open markets and co-operation”. Many Conservatives want an “in-out” referendum on a complete withdrawal from the EU, but such a vote would face strong opposition from their junior coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats.Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition Labour party, accused the prime minister of changing his position to ease the growing disquiet within his ranks. “Why is he doing it now?” he asked parliament. “It’s not to sort the crisis of growth... it’s all about managing the divisions in his own party.” Liam Fox, the former defence minister and a senior Conservative lawmaker, said yesterday that Britain should exit the EU if it failed to broker a new relationship.Fox said he wanted Britain to “negotiate a new relationship with the EU based on economic rather than political considerations”. If Europe blocked the move Britain “would have no alternative but to recommend rejection and consider departure from the EU”, he added. Like Cameron, Fox stressed that any vote must wait, saying a referendum now would be “an error with great tactical risks”.