British Conservatives in fresh referendum pledge (Roundup)

Nov 4, 2009, 17:00 GMT

London - Britain's opposition Conservatives pledged Wednesday to make any future 'transfer of power' to the European Union (EU) subject to popular approval in a referendum.

Party leader David Cameron, speaking a day after he lost his struggle to stop the full ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, said a government led by him would introduce legislation to ensure that the British people had a say.

'Never again should it be possible for a British government to transfer power to the European Union without the say of the British people in a referendum,' said Cameron in London.

A future conservative government would amend the 1972 European Communities Act so that a transfer of power without approval in a referendum would not be possible, he said.

That would include any future attempt to bring Britain into the Eurozone, said Cameron.

However, the Conservative leader conceded that his policy on Europe had been dealt a heavy blow by the signing of the Lisbon Treaty Tuesday by Czech President Vaclav Klaus.

'Our campaign for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is over,' he said, adding that he had been 'very disappointed' by the completion of the ratification process.

'We cannot hold a referendum and magically make those posts or the Lisbon Treaty itself disappear, any more than we could hold a referendum to stop the sun rising in the morning,' said Cameron.

However, he would introduce legal changes that would ensure that British law would 'have supremacy over EU law' and would renegotiate parts of EU legislation if he became prime minister.

Areas earmarked for renegotiation included social and employment legislation, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and criminal justice, he said. However, he realized that such powers could not be won back 'unilaterally.'

Cameron also said the Conservatives would not rush into a 'massive bust-up' with the rest of the European Union.

A government led by him would not aim to 'frustrate or sabotage' common European policy, but try to put relations on a 'more positive and permanent footing.'

Cameron, 43, is widely tipped to take over from Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown after the next general election in Britain which must be held before June 2010.