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| * Paul Waugh |
by Paul Waugh | Politics
So, Dave’s date with destiny has arrived. After a first session on Britain’s EU reform demands at the Brussels summit this evening, plus some late-night one-on-one haggling, the real business will take place tomorrow morning.
Brussels officials say there will be an ‘English breakfast’ at which the EU leaders hammer out the detail of David Cameron’s demands. But on things like treaty change and migrant benefits, will the PM get a ‘full English’? Or will his deal end up like one of those Travelodge specials, where you get a weird mix of sausage and bacon, a thimble of orange juice, ‘continental’ croissants and limp ham. (‘The jam’s coming tomorrow, Sir, it’s called a protocol’).
The latest Donald Tusk draft deal (which the Guardian got hold of overnight) still has British demands for treaty change in square brackets. That means the officials haven’t found agreement and it’s down to the raw politics that only the 28 Government leaders can decide. No10 is very firm that treaties have to be changed, given the City and the Bank of England want euro protections pinned down.
The Romanians are the latest to kick off over Dave’s migrant benefit crackdown, worrying about the impact on their kin (a million in Spain and Italy). As for child benefit, the PM may have to accept it will only apply to new entrants, despite what his manifesto claimed. Most Brits will be frankly amazed a Pole can claim child benefit for his kids back home at all, but hey ho.
As if to prove Europe can be turn every success of this Government into a double-edged sword, yesterday’s further drop in unemployment is instead turned into a bad news story in some places. The Mail and the Times have splashed on the fact that the employment stats showed the number of EU migrants working here has surged to more than 2 million.
With many in the EU more worried about their own migrant crisis, the PM has at least tried to show willing with a pledge of gunboats and helicopters and cops to help southern Europe police its borders.
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Paul Waugh is the Executive Editor, Politics, HuffPost UK.
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