Deputy PM rejects ex-chancellor's claim that UK would be better off outside EU and says coalition should focus on economy
Nick Clegg has dismissed former chancellor Lord Lawson's claim that the British economy would be better off outside the EU.
The deputy prime minister said Lawson's comments were part of the ever-present "anguished debate" about Europe within the Conservative party and said that it should focus on more important issues.
Lawson, who was chancellor from 1983 to 1989 under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, said that the EU has become "a bureaucratic monstrosity" and "the case for exit is clear".
But Clegg said continued EU membership was necessary, for security, to protect jobs and to ensure Britain's continued influence on the international stage.
"I think leaving it now would make us less safe," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It makes us less prosperous, it jeopardises, potentially, up to 3 million jobs … it also means we'll be taken less seriously in Washington, Tokyo. … for all these reasons, I think it's the wrong thing to do … it's part of an anguished debate within the Tory party; they've had it before, they'll have it again."
After Ukip's strong showing in last week's county council elections, David Cameron is facing growing pressure from Eurosceptics within his party to advance legislation on a referendum on UK membership of the EU in this parliament.
But Clegg said: "I've never believed in having a referendum in response to nothing." He said that people were most concerned about the economy and the squeeze on incomes and that the coalition government should "address concerns most people want us to address".
Lawson is the most prestigious recruit to opponents of British membership of the EU. The prime minister is hoping that negotiations with Brussels will deliver substantial concessions he hopes will pacify Eurosceptics but the former chancellor dismissed the idea of securing any significant reforms from Brussels.
In response to Lawson's comments, a spokesman for the prime minister said Cameron remained confident his strategy would deliver results.
"The PM has always been clear – we need a Europe that is more open, more competitive, and more flexible; a Europe that wakes up to the modern world of competition. In short, Europe has to reform," he said.
"But our continued membership must have the consent of the British people, which is why the PM has set out a clear timetable on this issue."
Speaking on ITV's Daybreak, Clegg accused the Tories of being pressurised into "flip-flopping" by Ukip's surge in popularity, which has seen it finish above the Conservatives in the recent Eastleigh and South Shields byelections.
He said: "I know the Conservatives are struggling to work out how to deal with Ukip and they keep now changing their minds: one minute they want to be in the European Union, now senior Conservatives like Nigel Lawson say they want to go out." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
Nick Clegg has dismissed former chancellor Lord Lawson's claim that the British economy would be better off outside the EU.
The deputy prime minister said Lawson's comments were part of the ever-present "anguished debate" about Europe within the Conservative party and said that it should focus on more important issues.
Lawson, who was chancellor from 1983 to 1989 under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, said that the EU has become "a bureaucratic monstrosity" and "the case for exit is clear".
But Clegg said continued EU membership was necessary, for security, to protect jobs and to ensure Britain's continued influence on the international stage.
"I think leaving it now would make us less safe," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It makes us less prosperous, it jeopardises, potentially, up to 3 million jobs … it also means we'll be taken less seriously in Washington, Tokyo. … for all these reasons, I think it's the wrong thing to do … it's part of an anguished debate within the Tory party; they've had it before, they'll have it again."
After Ukip's strong showing in last week's county council elections, David Cameron is facing growing pressure from Eurosceptics within his party to advance legislation on a referendum on UK membership of the EU in this parliament.
But Clegg said: "I've never believed in having a referendum in response to nothing." He said that people were most concerned about the economy and the squeeze on incomes and that the coalition government should "address concerns most people want us to address".
Lawson is the most prestigious recruit to opponents of British membership of the EU. The prime minister is hoping that negotiations with Brussels will deliver substantial concessions he hopes will pacify Eurosceptics but the former chancellor dismissed the idea of securing any significant reforms from Brussels.
In response to Lawson's comments, a spokesman for the prime minister said Cameron remained confident his strategy would deliver results.
"The PM has always been clear – we need a Europe that is more open, more competitive, and more flexible; a Europe that wakes up to the modern world of competition. In short, Europe has to reform," he said.
"But our continued membership must have the consent of the British people, which is why the PM has set out a clear timetable on this issue."
Speaking on ITV's Daybreak, Clegg accused the Tories of being pressurised into "flip-flopping" by Ukip's surge in popularity, which has seen it finish above the Conservatives in the recent Eastleigh and South Shields byelections.
He said: "I know the Conservatives are struggling to work out how to deal with Ukip and they keep now changing their minds: one minute they want to be in the European Union, now senior Conservatives like Nigel Lawson say they want to go out." Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
