European Council President Donald Tusk has told MEPs that a deal struck by EU leaders last week aimed at keeping Britain in the bloc is irreversible and cannot be annulled by EU judges.
The European Council President Donald Tusk has told MEPs that a deal struck by EU leaders last week aimed at keeping Britain in the bloc is irreversible and cannot be annulled by EU judges.
Tusk, who chaired last Friday’s summit, said the decision by the 28 leaders was ‘legally binding’, adding that it was ‘in conformity with EU treaties and couldn’t be overturned by the European Court of Justice’.
“If the majority votes to leave, that is what will happen – it will change Europe for ever and it will be a change for the worse,” Tusk said.
The legally binding & irreversible #UKinEU settlement addresses every concern raised by PM
David_Cameron</a></p>— Donald Tusk (
eucopresident) 24 Février 2016
UK Conservative Ashley Fox announced his support for the ‘in’ campaign, and condemned those who portray the union as a kind of totalitarian institution.
“Those who compare the EU with the Soviet Union, I think that is foolish and offensive to those who actually lived under the yoke of communism, because unlike the USSR any country is free to leave the European Union.”
However, for long-standing EU opponent Nigel Farage, security concerns are a good enough reason for the UK to leave.
“Is it safe to stay within an organisation who’s own police boss tells us there are 3,000 to 5,000 terrorists that have now come into our continent through the migrant crisis, or is it safest to take back control of our borders and our own democracy?” he asked the chamber.
Ultimately it will be British citizens, not politicians who decide in a referendum on June 23.