MOSCOW, November 28 (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — British Prime Minister David Cameron will do his best not to hold a referendum on the so-called Brexit – or Britain walking out of the European Union, a Liberal Democrat member of the British Parliament told Sputnik Friday.
"I don't believe that Prime Minister Cameron really wants to do that," Mike Hancock said speaking about the so-called Brexit. "He will find every possible excuse not to have a referendum."
On Friday, David Cameron reaffirmed his stance in leading the United Kingdom out of the European Union if immigration of poorer European nationals to Britain is not stemmed. Cameron also suggested reform of the European Union and Britain's relationship with it.
"I think that Cameron is running himself into great difficulties politically for himself and very real difficulties for the United Kingdom if he continues to make that sort of speeches which are trying to foster the electoral prospect of the UKIP," Hancock warned.
The parliamentarian also underlined that the 28-nation bloc needs reforms leading to less bureaucracy, and a change in the whole of the EU management style and its structures.
"Cameron knows, as well as I do, there will not be major changes to the EU because the other countries will have to agree," Hancock said adding that getting to such a consensus will be impossible for Cameron. "He has very few friends in the EU."
"The devil is in the detail. Cameron needs to do two things: outline what specific powers he wants returned to London and how he plans to do this. Of course, if he ends up losing the general election, all talk of Brexit might well die with his political career," Assistant Professor at the Maastricht University in the Netherlands Michael Geary told Sputnik, reminding that the referendum will take place only if Cameron is re-elected.
But at this point in time, it appears to be impossible to predict the outcome of Britain's general election scheduled for next summer.
"The Conservative Party will benefit from an economy that continues to grow and David Cameron is seen by many as a competent and capable prime minister. The leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband is viewed more negatively by the public than his party's high poll ratings. But we cannot rule out the possibility that the UK have another coalition government and that would hamper the ability to push for sweeping changes in relations between London and Brussels and the ability to repatriate powers," Geary explained.
He also pointed out that immigration is only one of a number of issues that the Conservative Party's Eurosceptic wing want renegotiated. Geary noted that Cameron has problems with rulings from the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, a non-EU institution on topics like the right of prisoners in UK jails being able to vote.
"I think we have to stay in, we have to contribute what we can to do some changes," Mike Hancock said adding that Cameron is making a big mistake and "does not understand the political consequences" of a Brexit.
In January 2013, Cameron promised to hold a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union in 2017, if the ruling Conservative Party wins an outright majority at the next general election scheduled for May 2015. The ruling party lost a parliamentary seat in late November to the most eurosceptic party in Britain — UK Independence Party (UKIP) — which has recently been gaining ground both domestically and in the European Parliament.
