In the latest reshuffle Cameron
appointed the Eurosceptic Philip Hammond to the position of Foreign Secretary.
In an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday, Hammond said that the
status quo in the EU/UK
relationship
was 'simply not
acceptable'. His position was that, if the renegotiation achieved no change from
the current position, he would vote for withdrawal from the EU. Hammond – a
former president of the Oxford Union, a successful businessman and the
wealthiest member of the Cabinet – has been making remarks of this sort for some
time. Hammond is
not an outright withdrawalist, but the direction of travel is clear. It is
inconceivable that Hammond would state his views on this very sensitive topic
unless he had clearance from Cameron. In other words, the language is changing
and Conservative policy is shifting. The next move, probably in
early 2015 with three to four months to go before the general election in May,
is predictable. Cameron himself will say that, if the renegotiation gets nowhere
and secures no meaningful return of sovereignty (in the form of 'competences')
to the UK, he also would vote for withdrawal from the EU. Prof. Tim Congdon.
