British PM Cameron Soft-Pedalling Brexit; May Advance Referendum To 2016 For A Pro–EU Result

British Prime Minister David Cameron has belatedly accepted that there may be no changes in the European Union treaties for accommodating Britain's demands prior to the “Brexit” referendum. This is despite Mr Cameron seeking "irreversible" and "legally binding" guarantees when he met European Union leaders and heads of state within European Union. Latest reports also say there is a change of mind in Mr Cameron and he is less inclined to exit European Union.

Not Reliable

According to sources close to the PM, Mr Cameron is committed to a "proper, full-on treaty change." But Eurosceptic Tory MP John Redwood warned against trusting European Union so easily. "We should never trust what the European Union says. They change their mind more often than I change my shirts, which is very often," said Redwood.

During the European Council summit in Brussels, the PM formally set out his renegotiation aims to the European Union counterparts. BBC reports that an informal agreement has been reached, whereby European Union officials will start looking at the "detail" of the U.K.'s proposals. Before leaving the meeting, Mr Cameron said: "I am delighted that the process of British reform and renegotiation and the referendum we are going to hold - that process is now properly under way.

Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage criticised the prime minister and said he will "accept the inevitable" that no treaty change is going to happen. He said the PM looks like somebody who is now setting his ambitions... incredibly low.

Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn flayed Mr Cameron for "signalling retreat while pretending that all he ever wanted was a post-dated cheque. The prime minister has made a mess of this. He should have known what the position of other countries would be, but because he did not prepare the ground, for the second time in a few months he has been forced to admit that he can't get what he wants.”

Modest Demands

Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that Mr Cameron is trying to set himself on a campaign with the “firm aim” of keeping Britain in the European Union after a referendum focusing more on the risk of a British exit, according to a leaked document. The document of a private meeting between the prime minister and a fellow EU leader states “he believes that people will ultimately vote for the status quo if the alternatives can be made to appear risky.” The leaked document also indicated that the PM would like to hold the referendum in 2016, ahead of his deadline of December 2017.

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