Sentences with phrase «eurosceptic ministers»

As Iain Duncan Smith, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove and other Eurosceptic ministers toured the weekend broadcast studios in a well coordinated attack, their collective view seemed to be that Cameron had done his best in Brussels, but his deal would not stem the flow of migration, safeguard the City of London or even be legally enforceable.

Eurosceptic ministers, liberated from collective ministerial responsibility for the first time over the weekend, have started to set out the case they will make in the months ahead for Britain taking back control of its destiny outside the European Union.

Eurosceptic ministers also questioned whether the deal was legally enforceable, pointing to remarks by the French president, François Holland, that the deal might never be put into the form of a treaty or provide the UK with special status inside Europe.

After the 2015 election, this culminated in the suspension of collective cabinet responsibility during the referendum campaign, so that Eurosceptic ministers need not resign their posts, despite publicly contradicting everything that the PM and Chancellor were saying.

On the Today programme, presenter Sarah Montague noted that Howard — along with Peter Lilley and Michael Portillo — was part of the trio of Eurosceptic ministers that Major had hit out at in such memorable fashion.

He is also pleased with the way Eurosceptic ministers are privately falling into line — one after another — to back what he now believes will be a bigger renegotiation than was thought possible in the autumn.

This is as wise tactically on their part as it is disappointing to see Eurosceptic ministers implicitly connive in this lost year.

«If a eurosceptic minister had spoken out, in the same way, they would have been hauled in front of Number 10.

Not exact matches

The prime minister was responding to pressure from within the broadly eurosceptic Conservative party.

Eurosceptic MPs John Redwood, Anne Main and Bill Cash all suggested that ministers were attempting to keep voters in the dark about the reality of staying in the EU.

Europe minister David Lidington has hit out against Conservative eurosceptics ahead of Wednesday's likely vote by telling them to focus on issues other than the in / out referendum tearing his party apart.

This was good for a different reason: genuine pressure faced by the prime minister, who faced question after question from eurosceptic malcontents seated behind him.

The unexpected prediction from the deputy prime minister comes amid a storm of activity from Conservative eurosceptics, as the long campaigning season ahead of May's European elections begins in earnest.

Thatcher's Bruges speech is looked upon fondly in the mythology of Conservative Eurosceptics as the moment when the British Prime Minister, handbag in full swing, stood up to the creeping European super-state.

The new prime minister may have spent recent weeks reassuring her Eurosceptic colleagues that «Brexit means Brexit».

Appealing to his Eurosceptic domestic constituents, Prime Minister David Cameron's recent proposal for a UK - wide referendum on Britain's membership to the European Union has been declaimed by EU supporters as an easy, if irresponsible, exit strategy.

Boris Johnson will spend Christmas at Chevening this year after shaking off competition from his fellow eurosceptic Cabinet ministers.

The new prime minister may have spent recent weeks reassuring her Eurosceptic colleagues that ``...

With a slim majority of 12 seats, the new Prime Minister's autonomy will be highly constrained by his party, including assumingly more than a hundred convinced Eurosceptic MPs, and by the statutory Fixed - term Parliaments Act of 2011.

Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told the Today programme prime minister the prime minister was being put in an «impossible situation» by eurosceptics agitating for the division.

We don't know what Boris really thinks about Brexit but we can assume that he is more of a eurosceptic than an outright europhobe like former environment minister Owen Paterson.

If he had supported remain, he could not have counted on the gratitude of eurosceptic MPs and may have struggled to distinguish himself from, and elevate himself above Osborne and May, both of whom have impressive experience as ministers.

What makes this so terrible for the prime minister is the ammunition it gives his eurosceptic enemies — both inside and outside his party.

Miliband allied with Tory eurosceptics to defeat the prime minister in a Commons vote on the EU budget earlier this month.

The Commons» European scrutiny committee's chair, arch Tory eurosceptic Bill Cash, said: «The prime minister needs to be aware, as he discusses these matters in the European Council, that the debate has moved on from specific concerns about individual issues to fundamental questions which involve our democracy.»

Backbench Conservative opinion being mostly Eurosceptic, the Prime Minister received some testing questions.

For a little while, the eurosceptic rebels did not make impossible demands of the prime minister.

In his forthcoming speech on freedom of movement in the EU it is highly unlikely that the prime minister will make such a reckless promise as the one demanded by Paterson but he will surely try to placate the Eurosceptics in by shedding some light on his negotiating strategy.

But later in the day, the Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock was given a rough ride by Eurosceptic Conservative MPs in the Commons, as he sought to justify the decision; and Heywood was forced to explain his thinking to MPs on the public administration committee.

Bernard Jenkin, a leading Tory Eurosceptic, led the rebellion with an urgent question to the government, saying the limits went further than those imposed on ministers in 1975 and created a worse atmosphere.

Given that the Prime Minister described the main topic of debate as «instability in the eurozone», one could have predicted Eurosceptic members would turn up in force - as indeed they did.

The news will not come as a surprise to many as the prime minister has long had a somewhat adversarial relationship with the eurosceptic party, once famously referring to its members as «fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists» in an interview with LBC radio back in 2006.

The prime minister has enjoyed unusual acclaim from his party's eurosceptic backbenchers after refusing to commit Britain to fiscal integration measures now being pursued by all other EU member states.

Treasury minister Greg Clark, speaking for the government, adopted a staunchly eurosceptic line but ultimately failed to win over wavering backbenchers.

One hundred and thirty MPs have backed the eurosceptic amendment, in what initially appears to be an even greater setback for the prime minister than expected.

Installing a more Eurosceptic Europe Minister like Mark Francois, Greg Hands, Chris Heaton - Harris or Theresa Villiers - while appealing to Tory backbenchers - risks upsetting Nick Clegg (as well as Mr Clarke).

In addition, if the Prime Minister can obtain concessions on constitutional issues such as more powers for national parliaments, the removal of the much hated reference to «ever closer union» in the EU treaties or even the promise to renegotiate a new EU treaty at a later stage, he can perhaps persuade another handful of Tory eurosceptics to campaign to remain in the EU.

The likelihood of Cameron obtaining most of what he has asked for in the negotiation might be sufficient to win the support of eurosceptic cabinet ministers such as Michael Gove, Sajid Javid and Oliver Letwin.

Some eurosceptics want the government to legislate to guarantee such a vote will take place, but the prime minister has dismissed as unnecessarily binding.

A host of senior eurosceptics reacted angrily to the claim, arguing that the prime minister was deliberately stoking fear to enhance the case for a Remain vote.

They were roasted by Tory eurosceptic diehards including Nadine Dorries, Bill Cash and Mark Pritchard, who pointed out 49 % of Lib Dem voters backed the prime minister.

With an influential Cabinet secretary to lead the malcontents on the Tory backbenches, the eurosceptic wing of the party now presents a much more dangerous threat to the prime minister.

The broadside from the veteran europhile minister comes as David Cameron tries to face down a significant challenge on his eurosceptic flank, with a letter from 95 Tory MPs demanding parliament be given a vote on all EU laws.

The deputy prime minister is planning to take on Nigel Farage in a one - on - one debate on the EU and block any attempt by Downing Street to replace Baroness Ashton with a eurosceptic right - winger as EU commissioner.

The prime minister served up a new soundbite in response to the allegations from eurosceptics, telling an audience in Ipswich:

Amid a massive revolt by Tory Eurosceptics, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington said they had to recognise the «challenges» of forging a «deep and special relationship» with the bloc.

After becoming Prime Minister in 2010, Cameron came under fresh pressure from the new intake of Conservative MPs who were generally more eurosceptic.

Instead a weakened prime minister could once again be forced to confront the angry eurosceptics in her cabinet who wonder whether she is heading for «Brino» — Brexit in name only.

Eurosceptic MEP David Campbell Bannerman slammed a warning in the letter that ministers who campaign must have «long - standing and sincerely held views».

MP Steve Baker, a key figure in Vote Leave, said: «It would be a complete farce if ministers had to prove their Eurosceptic credentials before campaigning.»