Tory Cabinet ministers 'censored' in new referendum row

Eurosceptic ministers are furious that they remain gagged as officials vet their speeches, while pro-European colleagues are free to speak out to praise Britain's membership of the EU

David Cameron is facing a fresh Cabinet revolt amid warnings that Downing Street is censoring eurosceptic ministers in order to keep Britain in the European Union.
Senior officials have taken the extraordinary step of seeking to vet – and in some cases alter - speeches from ministers in Parliament, to tone down their eurosceptic comments, The Telegraph can reveal.

At the same time, pro-European ministers are being encouraged to make their cases for why Britain should vote to stay in the EU in the forthcoming referendum.
Right-wing Tories are furious at what they see as Number 10's coordinated attempt to rig the referendum debate by “gagging” Eurosceptic colleagues.
Downing Street sources rejected the complaints and insisted there was no instruction to ministers not to make eurosceptic statements.
Mr Cameron continues to claim in public that he does not rule out recommending that Britain votes to leave the EU if he cannot get a good enough package of changes to the terms of the UK’s membership.
But the censorship row will fuel suspicions that Mr Cameron and the Chancellor, George Osborne, have already made up their minds to campaign to keep Britain in Europe and are using the Whitehall machine to promote an “in” vote at the referendum.
The UK is set to have a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether it should stay in the European Union  Photo: AP
It comes after the Prime Minister conceded last week that he would have to suspend the long-standing convention of “collective government responsibility” to allow his ministers to campaign on both sides of the referendum debate.
Giving ministers the freedom to take a different view from his own was the only way for Mr Cameron to avoid damaging resignations from his Cabinet, which is split over Europe.
After talks with two Cabinet Eurosceptics - Chris Grayling, the Leader of the Commons, and Theresa Villiers, the Northern Ireland Secretary - Mr Cameron announced that he would allow individual ministers to campaign in favour of leaving the EU once he has finished his negotiations in Brussels.
Chris Grayling  Photo: Anthony Davlin/PA
The move was seen as a major concession to Eurosceptics and a victory for the “out” campaign.
However, there are growing fears among sceptics that the promise of freedom to speak out when the formal referendum campaign begins is being used to keep them silent now.
Until the Prime Minister’s “renegotiation” is completed, ministers have been banned from campaigning to leave the EU – or making any statements that could be seen to undermine Mr Cameron’s efforts.
But there is no "level playing field", with pro-EU ministers allowed to speak freely, one senior Eurosceptic minister said.
“The effect of the intervention from Chris Grayling and Theresa Villiers and the Prime Minister’s statement has been to really lift the mood of the party," the minister said.
“It would be tragic if mishandling of Cabinet ministers who want to stay in the EU was to undermine that and create a sense of resentment.”
Theresa Villiers has said the "on the runs" scheme is over  Photo: ROB COLMAN
Even supporters of EU membership expressed concerns at the developments, with pro-Europeans warning such censorship tactics could backfire.
Cabinet sources said officials in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office, which serves as the government’s central headquarters, had demanded the final say over statements and answers given to MPs in the Commons.
On one recent occasion, a draft of an answer which was due to have been read in Parliament was extensively re-written by Mr Cameron’s officials. Eurosceptic phrases were deleted and the draft was sent back to the minister with “a more positive tone about Europe”, one Cabinet minister said.
“The Cabinet Office and Number 10 are putting pressure on ministers not to sound Eurosceptic,” the minister said. “The danger is the public will see the government machine as promoting the status quo. We need to be careful.”

Mr Cameron’s aides have also ordered political advisers working alongside ministers to draft pro-European announcements and speeches to ensure that senior politicians make a positive case for EU membership in public.
Last week, Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, said he could not envisage voting to leave the EU, while the Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss, gave her wholehearted support to Mr Cameron’s renegotiation of Britain's EU membership.
On Saturday, Amber Rudd, the Energy Secretary, warned in a Telegraph interview that energy supplies would be threatened if Britain left the EU.
A source close to a Cabinet minister said: “There are clearly double standards operating here. The PM said collective responsibility must apply until he has done his deal. But Cabinet ministers are being allowed to make the case now for staying in the EU. If Eurosceptics went on the TV or radio and argued the opposite there would be outrage in Number 10.”
Another Cabinet source said: “Everybody should just shut up and let the renegotiation happen."
Mr Cameron has promised to secure a better deal for Britain before renegotiating the terms of EU membership and putting the new plan to a vote in an in/out referendum before the end of next year.
He wants reforms to immigration and welfare rules; competitiveness; sovereignty; and fairness between the Eurozone and countries outside the single currency.
The Prime Minister hopes to secure a final deal with the 27 other European leaders at a summit in Brussels next month, allowing the referendum to be held in June or July. However, there are signs that an agreement could be again, with the referendum put back until September.
A Downing Street source insisted no instructions had been issued to stop ministers making anti-EU comments. "Clearly, a number of ministers have long-standing, deeply-held and well known views on Europe.
"The PM has been clear that on this specific issue, for these individuals, collective responsibility will be lifted and they will be free to take a different view from the government, as individuals."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/12091326/Tory-Cabinet-ministers-censored-in-new-referendum-row.html



Wow, censoring their speeches!   You vill do vat ve tell you to!!!!!

Duz not surprize me one Toyota.
Show me a politician who is completely honest and I will show you a liar.

This is the EU way and the way of the EU supporters...


Thatcher was right when she said this...


Margaret Thatcher: Yes, the Commission does want to increase its powers. Yes, it is a non-elected body and I do not want the Commission to increase its powers at the expense of the House, so of course we are differing. Of course…

The President of the Commission, Mr. Delors, said at a press conference the other day that he wanted the European Parliament to be the democratic body of the Community, he wanted the Commission to be the Executive and he wanted the Council of Ministers to be the Senate. No. No. No.

Or….

Perhaps the Labour party would give all those things up easily. Perhaps it would agree to a single currency, to total abolition of the pound sterling. Perhaps, being totally incompetent with monetary matters, they’d be only too delighted to hand over full responsibility as they did to the IMF, to a central bank. The fact is they have no competence on money and no competence on the economy—so, yes, the right hon. Gentleman would be glad to hand it all over. What is the point in trying to get elected to Parliament only to hand over your sterling and the powers of this House to Europe?




She was right in what she said the EU was trying to do... she was right to oppose it... she was right that this is exactly what the EU has become... and she was forced to resign because of it!!!

of course the left wouldnt even give a vote on it...let alone have the gumption to try renegotiating anything

the left would just roll over and surrender to europe (germany)