Labour makes no sense on Europe - PM

12 March 2014
Last updated at 17:44

David Cameron: “Under Labour there won’t be a referendum”

David Cameron has accused Labour of making “no sense whatsoever” on Europe, after leader Ed Miliband said it was “unlikely” his party would hold a referendum on staying in the EU.

Mr Cameron said only the Conservatives, who have promised an in/out referendum by the end of 2017, were being “clear”.

But Mr Miliband accused the Tories of having an “obsession” with Europe.

The argument between the two leaders comes as they prepare for the European Parliament elections in May.

The recent rise in the opinion polls of the UK Independence Party – which wants the UK to withdraw from the EU – has increased the focus on the issue.

Mr Cameron, some of whose backbench MPs also want to quit the 28-nation group, has promised the in/out referendum if his party wins a majority at the 2015 general election.

‘Policy by committee’

This should take place after a full renegotiation of powers with Brussels, he argues.

Earlier Mr Miliband said there was an “overwhelming economic case” for EU membership.

Ed Miliband: “The Conservative government offers… an all-consuming and damaging obsession with whether we should leave the EU”

He promised to introduce a “lock”, so if the UK was asked to transfer powers to the EU, there would be an in/out referendum.

But he added: “I believe it is unlikely this lock will be used in the next parliament.”

He also criticised the prime minister for creating an “arbitrary timetable”, ensuring a “Conservative government would be dominated by an all-consuming and damaging obsession within his party about whether Britain should leave the EU”.

But Mr Cameron, who is visiting Israel, attacked his rival’s position.

“It is not a proposal for an in/out referendum,” the prime minister said.

“It is a policy clearly designed by a committee who obviously couldn’t agree what to do and have come up with a policy that makes no sense whatsoever.”

‘Westminster elite’

He added: “The British people now have a very, very clear choice. At the next election they can elect a Conservative government that will renegotiate Britain’s position in Europe and give people a guaranteed in-out referendum by the end of 2017.

“If they get a Labour government, they will get no referendum, no choice, no reform, nothing. It couldn’t be clearer.”

The coalition has already enshrined in law a “referendum lock”, promising a vote on whether to transfer further powers to Brussels if the situation arises – but not on whether to leave the EU.

Conservative attempts to legislate for an in/out referendum in 2017 have been thwarted by the Liberal Democrats.

Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey said the Tories had “changed position under pressure from their backbenchers and UKIP”.

Meanwhile UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Mr Miliband had put “himself squarely on the side of the Westminster elite and against the British public”.

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | RFID | Amazon Affiliate
BBC News – Home

Labour makes no sense on Europe - PM

Labour seeks terror suspect answers

4 November 2013
Last updated at 09:07 ET

We need to know why this should happen twice in 10 months”, says Yvette Cooper

Labour is urging the government to explain how a terror suspect under surveillance went missing after changing into a burka at a mosque.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, 27, who was subject to an order restricting his movements, was last seen leaving the site in Acton, west London, on Friday.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the situation as “extremely serious”.

Home Secretary Theresa May will make a statement in the Commons at 15:30 GMT.

CCTV images show Somali-born Mr Mohamed, who is said to now be a UK citizen, leaving the mosque with his face fully covered.

Police say Mr Mohamed, who has been linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabab, should not be approached but do not believe he poses a direct threat.

He was subject to a terrorism prevention and investigation measures (TPim) notice, which is aimed at protecting the public from people the home secretary believes to have engaged in terrorism-related activity but who it is not deemed feasible to prosecute or deport.

The Home Office would not confirm what had happened to the GPS tag he would have been issued with as part of the order.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

The TPims system is under intense scrutiny on several fronts.

The disappearance of Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed raises questions as to whether the regime, dubbed “control orders-lite”, is in fact too light.

Mohamed is the second suspect to abscond. On Boxing Day 2012, Ibrahim Magag vanished after reportedly hiring a black cab. He has not been seen since.

There are also doubts about the robustness of the electronic tags that suspects have to wear.

Last week, prosecutions against three men, accused of tampering with their tags, were dropped when it emerged they may have inadvertently come loose.

Then there’s the wider question: How will police and MI5 monitor suspects when their TPims expire after the maximum two years?

Ms Cooper said: “Clearly police and security agencies will be doing everything possible to locate this terror suspect and ensure public safety.

“The home secretary also needs to provide information about the decisions made over Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed’s TPim, how he was able to abscond and what the risks to the public are.”

She called for the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, David Anderson, to “investigate urgently what has happened and the adequacy of the controls and powers in this case”.

Mr Mohamed arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre, in Church Road, Acton, at approximately 10:00 GMT on Friday, and was seen inside at 15:15 GMT.

CCTV images issued by Scotland Yard showed him arriving wearing a jacket and trousers and then leaving the mosque in the burka. He is 5ft 8in tall and of medium build.

The Metropolitan Police advised anyone who saw Mr Mohamed not to approach him and to call 999.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The Counter Terrorism Command immediately launched inquiries to trace Mr Mohamed and these continue.

“Ports and borders were notified with his photograph and details circulated nationally. Public safety remains our priority.”

Security minister James Brokenshire said: “National security is the government’s top priority and the police are doing everything in their power to apprehend this man as quickly as possible.

“The police and security services do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public in the UK.

“The home secretary, on police advice, applied to the High Court for an order protecting anonymity to be lifted in order to assist with their investigation.”

Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile, the former reviewer of anti-terror laws, said: “We were assured by the government that extra money would be spent on surveillance to ensure that exactly this kind of event did not occur.

“Yet the person concerned was able to walk in the front door of a mosque as a man and out through another door as a woman, on CCTV which was not seen, apparently, by the authorities.”

The court-approved Tpim orders include a requirement that their subjects report daily to the authorities, stay overnight at a specified address, wear a GPS tag, and face restrictions on travel, movement, association and communication.

They were introduced in January 2012 to replace control orders, which had been in place for seven years and also included the power to relocate suspects.

A court-imposed anonymity order banning the publication of Mr Mohamed’s name was lifted on Saturday to allow police to make a public appeal for information.

When the TPims order was obtained, Mr Mohamed was said to have received terrorist training in Somalia and fought on the front line in support of al-Shabab.

Court documents also say he supported a UK-based network supporting terrorist-related activity in Somalia and had been involved in attack planning against Western interests in east Africa.

Last December, Ibrahim Magag, who was subject to a TPim control measure, went missing in north London and has still not been found.

Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | RFID | Amazon Affiliate
BBC News – Home

Labour seeks terror suspect answers