Nicholas Soames together with 30 other Conservative Members of Parliament has written to the Prime Minister urging him to offer a positive and optimistic vision for Britain’s leadership in Europe.
Conservative MPs have today submitted a letter to David Cameron prior to his Europe speech on Friday urging him to offer a positive vision of British leadership in Europe. Over 25 MPs, which comprises 11 former Ministers and six Select Committee Chairmen, want the PM to assert that far from leaving the EU, it is in Britain’s national interest to lead it.
The signatories want to support the PM in reasserting the official Conservative Party policy which is to remain an ‘active and activist’* member of the EU. They challenge the view that EU withdrawal or maginalisation has become the default position of our Party. Whilst acknowledging that the Eurozone crisis has given added strength to this view, it is exactly at this time when Britain’s influence is particularly important. They support a cultural shift towards a bolder leadership focused on projecting Britain’s national interests, especially in completing the single market.
On behalf of the group, Nicholas Soames MP said; “We are the mainstream of the Conservative Party. We are pro-leadership – both of our Party and our position in Europe. We are fundamentally united by our belief that the UK national interest is best served working for changes within the EU, not being marginalised at the fringes. This group believes that the nation would be best served by the Conservative Party campaigning for a ‘yes’ vote in any future in/out referendum.”