The Deputy Prime Minister said that, for as long as his Liberal Democrats were in government, there would be no move towards leaving the EU.
In an intervention described as “very unhelpful” by senior Conservatives, Mr Clegg also forced Downing Street to water down Mr Cameron’s promise to bring back British powers from Brussels.
On Monday, Mr Cameron was rocked by a rebellion of 81 Conservative MPs who demanded a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
As the Prime Minister tried to calm the row with warm words about the rebels, Mr Clegg offered a string of provocative comments, scorning the demands of the Conservative backbenches.
“Eurosceptics need to be quite careful for what they wish for, because if they succeed – and they won’t succeed, as long as I’m in government – to push this country towards the exit sign, let’s be clear: that [what] will be damaged is British families, British businesses, British jobs,” said Mr Clegg. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Tuesday, October 25, 2011
