Border controls, British laws for Britain and freedom of worldwide trade need to be adopted or Wycombe MP Steve Baker says he we will campaign to leave the European Union.
The 44-year-old who has represented the south Buckinghamshire constituency since 2010 has made the headlines today by forming the new Conservatives for Britain group that aims to see a renegotiation on Europe or threaten to rebel and bolster the “Out” campaign.
Speaking to the Bucks Free Press he outlines his plans to attract at least another 50 “unsettled” MPs to his group and says he hopes to dispel the lies which saw people “tricked” into supporting the EU in the last referendum.
He said: “People feel tricked, people who voted in the previous referendum feel tricked and they were tricked.
“They were told it was about trade and it turns out it was about political union. Political union is a radical step which people would never have supported.
“I feel sure that the more people who realise that the European Union, as it currently is, is about a political project to unite all of Europe as a one nation state, the more people will feel, as I feel, that a referendum is long overdue and that they need to look extremely closely at the renegotiation.
“I think there are three modest proposals which the public would expect to get from parliament and that is that parliament itself is the final arbiter of what is law in the UK and that is not the case while we are in the EU on the current relationship.
“Secondly, we should have the freedom to trade with anybody in the world, which is not the case while we are in the EU.
“And, thirdly that we should have a fair migration policy that applies equally to all and it should be set in London, so I want control over our borders.
“Now, I’m well aware that those three things aren’t possible without a fundamental change to our relationship with the European Union.
“The Prime Minister has said he wants to deliver a fundamental change, but it leaves me personally in a position where I will need to look at the renegotiation package very carefully when it’s available.”
Despite his criticism of the current situation, Mr Baker says the Prime Minister David Cameron has his support.
He said: “We support the Prime Minister, we want him to succeed, we’re optimistic about Britain in the world, but we do need to discuss the red lines and the “Out” campaign.
“We’re having a referendum, that then raises the question for every parliamentary colleague, just as it raises it for every member of the public, that when the renegotiation comes forward have we got the best deal for Britain, and it is a deal the people want to support or do they want to leave the EU.”
He added: “After a lot of conversations with colleagues I agreed to start Conservatives for Britain for the purpose of assessing the renegotiation.
“And we’re also prepared to discuss an “Out” campaign because at the rate things are going if an “Out” campaign is not considered early then obviously it will all be too late.”
Mr Baker said he knows a number of Conservative colleagues are unsettled about the government’s policy on the EU and after signing up more than 50 members to the group, he believes they will get at least another 50 politicians joining them.
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