Give Eastleigh people a real choice

12.00.00am GMT Thu 31st Jan 2008

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne has called for local residents to have a real choice in a full referendum over whether to stay in or leave the European Union.

Mr Huhne said that he backed an EU referendum and was disappointed that only a few Conservative MPs had voted for the Lib Dem motion when it was voted in the House of Commons recently.

Mr Huhne was speaking after the news that the "I want a referendum" campaign is funding a postal vote in the Eastleigh constituency. But Mr Huhne said that the campaign is urging a referendum on the EU reform treaty, not our whole EU membership.

"The EU has changed enormously since we last voted on it in 1975, particularly in the Maastricht treaty which was pushed through by the Conservative government without the vote that we should have had" said Mr Huhne.

"I campaigned for a referendum on the EU constitution in the last general election, because it would have been an entirely new basis for our relationship.

"The reform treaty is less than a third of the length of the old constitution, so it would be fair now to have a referendum at the end of the process on whether we should stay in or leave the EU" said Mr Huhne.

"I believe that Britain benefits on balance from our EU membership, notably in helping us tackle climate change, terrorism, drug running and human trafficking as well as ensuring a big single market for our goods and services. I look forward to making the case".

ENDS