David Cameron accused of 'mass deception' of voters over pre-election promises on Europe
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Last updated at 1:19 PM on 9th September 2011
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage will today accuse David Cameron of 'mass deception' of Conservative voters over immigration and a referendum on the EU.
To attract the euro-sceptic wing of the Conservatives he will use a speech to the UKIP annual conference to accuse the Tories of making pre-election promises on Europe they never wanted to keep.
An English Parliament is needed to resolve the tensions caused by devolution of some powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, he will also claim.
Tory backbenches are angry over European policy with a group of young MPs meeting on Monday to discuss Britain's relations with the EU and eurosceptic Bill Cash's bill demanding a referendum on the UK being part of the Union.
Under fire: David Cameron, pictured yesterday, will be accused by UKIP leader Nigel Farage today of making pre-election promises on the EU he never intended to keep
In a full-scale attack on Conservative credentials on the EU, Mr Farage will tell the conference that there has been a 'total breakdown in trust' in all the major parties, with Labour voters disillusioned by the financial crisis and Iraq and Lib Dems by the U-turn on tuition fees.
'But those who must be feeling the most let down, the most disappointed, are the millions of Conservative voters who believed the promises of David Cameron,' he will say.
'They have begun to realise that when Mr Cameron makes promises about EU referendums, immigration figures or human rights legislation, that he is doing so simply to get their vote without ever meaning it himself.
'The Tories' election strategy is one of mass deception and if you're a patriotic, anti-EU Tory voter then your party has disappeared.'
It comes a day after it emerged that Tory MPs are plotting to join forces with Labour Eurosceptics to try to force Mr Cameron to take a harder line on the EU.
The Prime Minister – who yesterday held talks in Downing Street with Europe’s self-styled ‘president’ Herman Van Rompuy – dismissed calls for an ‘in-out’ referendum on Britain’s membership.
He told MPs there was ‘no case’ for such a vote and insisted Britain must make Europe ‘work for us’.
But there are increasing signs that the issue of Europe is being seized on by Conservative MPs as a symbol of wider frustrations with the way their pro-EU Liberal Democrat coalition partners are influencing government policy
Firm: Prime Minister David Cameron, with the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, dismissed calls for a referendum on membership and says Europe 'must work' for Britain
A day after the Government announced the creation of a commission to investigate the so-called West Lothian question, the Ukip leader will say that his party is the first to draw up serious proposals to answer calls for 'English votes for English laws'.
'What we have in the UK at the moment is a situation where the English people are the ones most likely to break up the Union because they feel used and under-represented,' Mr Farage will say.
'Ukip realise that something needs to change and that the UK must be based on equality and fairness.
'That's why we have developed a proposal which would put an end to the disastrous devolution policies enacted by Labour which has only damaged the Union and brought about ill-feeling between the different nations.
'It shows that we take the notion of Englishness seriously without wanting to damage the pride of being Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish.'
No decision on whether to adopt the English Parliament as party policy is expected for some time.
Meanwhile, former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton - a UKIP member for about a year - will seek a move to the party's frontline by standing for a post on its ruling national executive committee.
Posts
