:00:00. > :00:07.For the first time in four decades, British voters are to be asked
:00:08. > :00:10.if they want to stay in or leave the European Union.
:00:11. > :00:32.Stay with us for the detail and the reaction.
:00:33. > :00:36.Good evening and welcome to this BBC News special from Downing Street,
:00:37. > :00:38.where earlier today, the prime minister emerged
:00:39. > :00:41.from Number 10 to announce that a referendum will be held
:00:42. > :00:45.on 23rd June to decide whether Britain remains
:00:46. > :00:51."One of the biggest decisions of our lifetimes".
:00:52. > :00:52.This morning, he chaired a Cabinet meeting
:00:53. > :00:55.spelling out the new terms of EU membership
:00:56. > :00:59.Several of Mr Cameron's cabinet colleagues,
:01:00. > :01:02.including the Justice Secretary Michael Gove,
:01:03. > :01:07.they will campaign for Britain to leave the EU.
:01:08. > :01:10.We'll have more on the detail of Mr Cameron's deal in a moment,
:01:11. > :01:12.but first, our political editor Laura Kuenssberg reports
:01:13. > :01:20.Just what has the Prime Minister opened up?
:01:21. > :01:22.An argument that not all of his colleagues
:01:23. > :01:40.As the Cabinet gathered to tell each other at last officially
:01:41. > :01:42.An awkward entrance for one of the Prime Minister's closest
:01:43. > :01:47.While ministers met, a crowd gathered.
:01:48. > :01:50.It is no secret how big a decision this is
:01:51. > :01:52.for us all. But what the Prime Minister would recommend
:01:53. > :01:59.With the deal from Brussels in his back pocket,
:02:00. > :02:03.We are approaching one of the biggest decisions
:02:04. > :02:06.this country will face in our lifetimes -
:02:07. > :02:08.whether to remain in a reformed European Union,
:02:09. > :02:16.Our plan for Europe gives us the best of both worlds.
:02:17. > :02:22.through which families across Britain get all the benefits of
:02:23. > :02:25.being in the European Union, including more jobs,
:02:26. > :02:28.lower prices and greater security.
:02:29. > :02:31.But our special status also means we are out
:02:32. > :02:35.of those parts of Europe that do not work for us,
:02:36. > :02:37.and I will go to Parliament and propose
:02:38. > :02:40.that the British people decide our future in Europe
:02:41. > :02:45.through an in-out referendum on Thursday 23rd June.
:02:46. > :02:52.The choice is in your hands, but my recommendation is clear.
:02:53. > :02:55.I believe that Britain will be safer, stronger
:02:56. > :03:00.and better off in a reformed European Union.
:03:01. > :03:04.this is one of the biggest political moments for years.
:03:05. > :03:07.He has finally confirmed that you will be
:03:08. > :03:10.asked the biggest political question in decades, and he is putting at
:03:11. > :03:13.stake our membership of the European Union, the unity of his party, and
:03:14. > :03:26.Everyone thinks it is a good deal, the question is whether it was good
:03:27. > :03:30.enough for everyone to think we should stay in Europe.
:03:31. > :03:39.It is a great deal for Scotland.
:03:40. > :03:41.Those who will fight him slipped out of the back door.
:03:42. > :03:44.It is Iain Duncan Smith. I am a member of
:03:45. > :03:47.the Cabinet. I am the Secretary for work and pensions. I am ringing you
:03:48. > :03:51.Going straight to the headquarters of one
:03:52. > :04:05.This will be remembered. But what is their case?
:04:06. > :04:08.The first Cabinet minister to speak for out told me.
:04:09. > :04:10.There are things we could and should be doing
:04:11. > :04:14.in the interests of this country that we cannot do as members of the
:04:15. > :04:17.EU. I want us to be able to control our borders, to limit the number of
:04:18. > :04:21.people who come and live here. But above all, I do not believe we can
:04:22. > :04:24.take decisions in our national interest we are part of the European
:04:25. > :04:27.of the European Union, when we have given up so much
:04:28. > :04:31.How dangerous a moment will this be for the Conservative Party? For the
:04:32. > :04:34.next few months, from top to bottom, there will be figures publicly
:04:35. > :04:38.disagreeing with each other over these fundamental ideas.
:04:39. > :04:41.He has worked immensely hard to deliver change in our relationship
:04:42. > :04:43.with the European Union. The debate is whether that change was
:04:44. > :04:49.sufficient to enable us to state, or whether people will decide to go.
:04:50. > :04:54.The campaign to stay will have the backing of most Tory, Lib Dem,
:04:55. > :04:57.Labour and SNP MPs, even if for different reasons.
:04:58. > :05:15.Our position is simple, that we want to be in
:05:16. > :05:19.but with workers' protection, environmental protection
:05:20. > :05:22.across Europe. That is the agenda Cameron should have followed.
:05:23. > :05:23.Number Ten hopes a new and improved
:05:24. > :05:34.relationship with the EU can win you over, but the referendum will ask
:05:35. > :05:51.But how do those new terms compare with his original goals, and are
:05:52. > :05:56.they, as the critics say, a poor result for the UK?
:05:57. > :06:02.When David Cameron set out to reform Britain's relationship
:06:03. > :06:06.with the European Union, his ambition was clear.
:06:07. > :06:08.That is why we need fundamental, far-reaching change.
:06:09. > :06:11.So has he got it? Well, one aim was to
:06:12. > :06:14.deter EU migration by curbing their benefits. The Tory manifesto
:06:15. > :06:16.promised that if an EU migrant's child is living abroad,
:06:17. > :06:21.they should receive no child benefit. The deal
:06:22. > :06:30.says that EU migrants will just receive less child benefit.
:06:31. > :06:31.Immediately if they are new arrivals,
:06:32. > :06:33.in four years if they are already here.
:06:34. > :06:38.The manifesto also promised that EU migrants who want to claim tax
:06:39. > :06:41.credits must live here and contribute to our country for a
:06:42. > :06:43.minimum of four years. The deal says
:06:44. > :06:45.instead that EU migrants will have their tax credits phased
:06:46. > :06:47.in gradually over four years, a
:06:48. > :06:53.be able to impose only for the next seven years. The Prime Minister also
:06:54. > :07:01.from being sucked into deeper political union.
:07:02. > :07:03.I am asking European leaders for a clear, legally binding and
:07:04. > :07:05.irreversible agreement to end Britain's obligation. So it's time
:07:06. > :07:11.to give these national parliaments a greater say over EU lawmaking.
:07:12. > :07:13.Well, the deal does indeed say the UK
:07:14. > :07:16.will not be committed to further political integration, and it does
:07:17. > :07:20.give more power to national parliaments to block new EU laws.
:07:21. > :07:25.protect the economy from financial decisions made by
:07:26. > :07:31.I am asking European leaders to agree clear and binding
:07:32. > :07:39.principles that protect Britain and other non-euro countries, and
:07:40. > :07:43.a safeguard mechanism to ensure that those principles are respected
:07:44. > :07:46.The deal bans any discrimination against non-euro
:07:47. > :07:49.countries, and gives to the UK the right to challenge, but not veto
:07:50. > :07:52.Eurozone decisions they oppose, a change that will be written into EU
:07:53. > :07:58.law in the future. So this deal does introduce a deterrent against
:07:59. > :08:00.migration and safeguards from the Eurozone and a check on further
:08:01. > :08:02.political integration. But it doesn't restrict the free movement
:08:03. > :08:11.of labour around Europe, it doesn't change EU employment law, it doesn't
:08:12. > :08:16.reform farm payments, all of which the Prime Minister has promised in
:08:17. > :08:18.So this deal is, by definition, a compromise.
:08:19. > :08:20.The question now is whether it is good
:08:21. > :08:35.in the EU, or so minimal that persuades them to vote to leave.
:08:36. > :08:40.As you would expect, lots of reaction today both to the content
:08:41. > :08:42.of the deal and the announcement Prime Minister made in Downing
:08:43. > :08:43.Street earlier today. Laura Kuenssberg is with me
:08:44. > :08:45.in Downing Street. We'll talk to her in a moment,
:08:46. > :08:57.but first to Brussels and our Europe I sensed a response not just after
:08:58. > :09:02.the deal was done, but the Prime Minister's words on the way he has
:09:03. > :09:06.shaped this debate. What have they been saying? At the summit itself,
:09:07. > :09:09.the couple of prime ministers we spoke to said that David Cameron
:09:10. > :09:13.played a blinder when it came to negotiations. They said he was not
:09:14. > :09:16.the one having to give way in the talks. In the lead up to the summit,
:09:17. > :09:21.he travelled all around Europe, trying to woo the other 27 EU
:09:22. > :09:25.leaders. He needed their unanimous support yesterday to get his deal
:09:26. > :09:27.past. But as soon as it was passed, that tone changed. He took to the
:09:28. > :09:42.podium at a press Conference here in
:09:43. > :09:44.Brussels, very much the British Prime Minister, about to call what
:09:45. > :09:47.could be a very divisive referendum on EU membership. I don't love
:09:48. > :09:49.Brussels, he said, I love Britain. When it comes to Europe, he said I
:09:50. > :09:51.take hard-headed decisions in our national interest. For those
:09:52. > :09:54.Europeans who spent a long time trying to help the Prime Minister
:09:55. > :09:56.get his deal, they bristled at his tone, but they are realists. They
:09:57. > :09:59.took a decision in their national interest that with the refugee
:10:00. > :10:04.crisis, with an unpredictable Russia at the doorsteps of the European
:10:05. > :10:08.Union, with the terror threat, that the EU is better with Britain
:10:09. > :10:12.inside. They hope that by giving David Cameron his deal, they might
:10:13. > :10:17.help persuade the people of the UK to vote yes in a referendum. The
:10:18. > :10:20.idea of safer together is something you can also expect to hear from the
:10:21. > :10:24.Prime Minister in the lead up to the referendum, but at the same time,
:10:25. > :10:28.his deal threatens to cause rifts inside Europe. What happens if the
:10:29. > :10:33.Poles, the Portuguese and Spaniards now want their deal as well. Europe
:10:34. > :10:37.a la carte? The fear is that that could lead to disintegration and
:10:38. > :10:44.perhaps the eventual break-up of the European Union. Laura is with me in
:10:45. > :10:50.Downing Street. Lots of things have been confirmed - the date obviously,
:10:51. > :10:54.but other things have not been confirmed. Over the next four
:10:55. > :11:02.months, lots of things are difficult to predict. We don't know how it
:11:03. > :11:05.will exactly transpired, but there are two pressing things we are not
:11:06. > :11:07.sure of all stop the first is the question of whether that gang of six
:11:08. > :11:10.ministers this morning will become a gang of seven. The biggest question
:11:11. > :11:13.is over whether Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, will emerge on the
:11:14. > :11:18.side of people who want to leave the European Union. That does seem very
:11:19. > :11:22.likely at this stage, but he is not going to confirm that today. He is
:11:23. > :11:25.the kind of unusual politician who can cut through much of the
:11:26. > :11:30.machinations of Westminster and appeal directly to the public. Some
:11:31. > :11:34.people love him, some despise him, but he always makes an impact. The
:11:35. > :11:38.second thing that we don't know the details of yet is something that
:11:39. > :11:42.David Cameron is expecting to put forward that would show that British
:11:43. > :11:46.law could not be overturned by European law. For many years, that
:11:47. > :11:50.has been a real concern of people who want is to be out of the
:11:51. > :11:53.European Union, the idea that European judges far from here can
:11:54. > :11:57.chat out things that British governments decide they want to do.
:11:58. > :12:00.In the coming days, the Prime Minister will come up with some kind
:12:01. > :12:05.of deal on that sovereignty question, and we do not know exactly
:12:06. > :12:10.how that will look. For some Eurosceptics, that could make the
:12:11. > :12:13.difference for people wavering. And we will expect the Prime Minister to
:12:14. > :12:17.campaign heavily on that side of things in the months to come. But as
:12:18. > :12:21.you say, the broad shapes of the arguments are now emerging clearly.
:12:22. > :12:26.The very big question is what the public will make of it.
:12:27. > :12:29.Let's discuss some of those issues now.
:12:30. > :12:34.In a moment I'll talk to Sir Malcolm Rifkind,
:12:35. > :12:36.the former Conservative Foreign Secretary
:12:37. > :12:41.who's campaigning to stay in - but first, Chris Grayling,
:12:42. > :12:43.who sits in the cabinet as leader of the House of Commons,
:12:44. > :12:54.Mr Grayling, are you going to be campaigning on the nuts and bolts of
:12:55. > :12:57.the deal that the Prime Minister has negotiated, or are you already
:12:58. > :13:01.negotiating on a broader question? I am not going to be attacking the
:13:02. > :13:05.Prime Minister on what he has achieved. He has worked immensely
:13:06. > :13:08.hard and has brought home some changes to our relationship with the
:13:09. > :13:11.European Union. The question is whether the deal on the table
:13:12. > :13:16.restores the national sovereignty that I want to restore to the UK. I
:13:17. > :13:19.think the European Union holds us back. I think we cannot take
:13:20. > :13:22.decisions in our national interest that we should be able to take, like
:13:23. > :13:26.limiting the number of people who can live and work here, forging
:13:27. > :13:29.agreements with emerging economies around the world and even saving the
:13:30. > :13:34.10th billion pounds a year subscription we send to Brussels and
:13:35. > :13:38.spending it on the health service and reducing the deficit. I am not
:13:39. > :13:41.going to criticise the Prime Minister, who has worked hard, but
:13:42. > :13:48.he has not changed my view that Britain would be better off outside
:13:49. > :13:51.the European Union. And did you and other colleagues have the third
:13:52. > :13:55.unity to make those points around the table this morning? We had a
:13:56. > :14:00.very constructive discussion. Each one of us had the chance to set out
:14:01. > :14:02.our views. I don't think there were any great secrets because our
:14:03. > :14:07.sentiments were well-known in most cases, but it a good-natured meeting
:14:08. > :14:10.and I think a number of people said towards the end of the meeting that
:14:11. > :14:15.they hoped the tone of that meeting could be reflected in the campaign
:14:16. > :14:19.ahead. We as ministers and members of the Conservative Party wants to
:14:20. > :14:22.have a grown-up constructive discussion about these issues. We
:14:23. > :14:26.are all going to argue for what we believe in. We are all going to try
:14:27. > :14:32.and win the argument, but it is also beholden upon us as members of this
:14:33. > :14:38.country's government to be decent to each other. And are you expecting
:14:39. > :14:43.Boris Johnson to be arguing on your site? It would be great if he did,
:14:44. > :14:47.but Boris is Boris. He will no doubt do things in his own inimitable
:14:48. > :14:51.fashion. I don't yet know what he will do. Obviously, I hope he will
:14:52. > :14:59.be with the league campaign. We will have to see. -- I hope he will be
:15:00. > :15:06.with the leaves campaign. I thought you would say that!
:15:07. > :15:12.Your thoughts on what the Prime Minister had to say? Let me tell you
:15:13. > :15:15.where I am coming from, a I am a moderate Eurosceptic. I have been
:15:16. > :15:19.against the European army and a United States of Europe. What I have
:15:20. > :15:21.been waiting to see was whether as a result of these negotiations,
:15:22. > :15:25.whether we could be confident that Britain would continue to get all
:15:26. > :15:29.the benefits of the single market on trade, on financial services and a
:15:30. > :15:32.range of issues of that kind that create an enormous number of jobs,
:15:33. > :15:36.but at the same time, noting sucked in to be unable to be sucked in
:15:37. > :15:40.against our will into more European integration that wouldn't suit us. I
:15:41. > :15:44.am confident that we have that guarantee because the redefinition
:15:45. > :15:46.of what ever closer union means, saying explicitly for the first time
:15:47. > :15:50.in the history of the European Union, that this does not apply to
:15:51. > :15:54.the United Kingdom, that's what I was waiting to see and I am
:15:55. > :15:58.delighted we have got it. It's intriguing that we are being told by
:15:59. > :16:01.Laura that we are expecting something more from David Cameron
:16:02. > :16:05.and the Government on this question of sovereignty. We are being told
:16:06. > :16:09.that reliably, and if that's the case it does suggest that the deal
:16:10. > :16:13.as done yesterday hasn't gone far enough. That's not quite right. The
:16:14. > :16:18.issue that I have been talking about up until now has been about new
:16:19. > :16:23.proposals coming from the European Commission, or other governments for
:16:24. > :16:25.more integration, creation of a European army or harmonised taxation
:16:26. > :16:29.or things of that kind. What's being considered by the Government at the
:16:30. > :16:32.moment, I don't know the details, is whether if the European Court of
:16:33. > :16:37.justice or if some other definition of the existing law is interpreted
:16:38. > :16:40.in a way that's hostile to British interests, and maybe against our
:16:41. > :16:43.basic constitutional rights, there should be some safeguard against
:16:44. > :16:48.that. That's an important point but a separate point.
:16:49. > :16:52.Do you expect someone like Boris Johnson to be campaigning on your
:16:53. > :16:55.side or not? I haven't the to the faintest combrd. I am not clear why
:16:56. > :17:00.it's taking him so long to make up his mind. If it really does depend
:17:01. > :17:03.on what David Cameron's going to say over the next 48 hours, on what we
:17:04. > :17:06.have just been discussing, for example, then that's one thing. We
:17:07. > :17:09.know he has had private conversations with the Prime
:17:10. > :17:12.Minister. If he is going to say, well, whatever the Prime Minister's
:17:13. > :17:16.come up with it's not enough and he is going to campaign against, well,
:17:17. > :17:18.I am puzzled as to why he couldn't have said that today, yesterday,
:17:19. > :17:23.last week or the week before. This may have more to do with theatre
:17:24. > :17:26.than with substance. He may well be listening, sir
:17:27. > :17:31.Malcolm, thank you very much. He won't like it, if he is!
:17:32. > :17:39.Maybe not. Thank you very much for joining us.
:17:40. > :17:40.Lp Nick Higham has been talking
:17:41. > :17:46.to voters in Camberley in Surrey, where the local MP is Michael Gove,
:17:47. > :17:48.the Justice Secretary, The wind and rain kept
:17:49. > :17:57.many of the shoppers indoors, a chance to ask the stall holders
:17:58. > :18:00.what they think of Europe and which way they'll
:18:01. > :18:02.vote in the referendum. Are you going to vote
:18:03. > :18:07.to stay in or go out? There's too much red tape,
:18:08. > :18:11.it's crippling our country, We're being ruled by
:18:12. > :18:17.unelected people in Brussels I think we have lost a lot
:18:18. > :18:32.of our independence but then Do you think you would have to pay
:18:33. > :18:37.more for imported olives if we left? Certainly people like the Greeks
:18:38. > :18:40.would probably charge us This is Michael Gove's constituency,
:18:41. > :18:44.overwhelmingly Conservative. But just as the Cabinet
:18:45. > :18:46.is divided over Europe, I don't think the way
:18:47. > :18:57.things are in Europe - Europe's getting too big and I think
:18:58. > :19:00.we should be better off trading with the rest of the world,
:19:01. > :19:03.rather than the rest of Europe. As Europe's growing,
:19:04. > :19:08.it's just getting too big. Jobs will benefit
:19:09. > :19:14.from staying in Europe. Come in out of the rain
:19:15. > :19:17.and you discover that the main shopping centre
:19:18. > :19:18.is busy and bustling. You would expect that,
:19:19. > :19:21.this is a wealthy part of the world. The other thing you discover is that
:19:22. > :19:24.even though the local MP has come down firmly on one side
:19:25. > :19:31.of the argument, many people around here are still undecided
:19:32. > :19:34.about which way to vote I'm going to listen to all
:19:35. > :19:39.the arguments, actually. I thought I would be staying in,
:19:40. > :19:43.but I am just going to listen top all the arguments before
:19:44. > :19:45.making a decision. I am going to vote
:19:46. > :19:47.but I am undecided. I need to know about the benefits
:19:48. > :19:54.of being in or out. Haven't decided, I don't know enough
:19:55. > :19:57.at the moment to make a decision. Despite David Cameron's deal
:19:58. > :19:59.in Brussels, it seems many around A flavour there of the opinions in
:20:00. > :20:15.Camberley. Ben Page is chief executive of the
:20:16. > :20:21.pollsters IPSOS MORI. There was an interesting
:20:22. > :20:24.contribution there about I want to know more before I can make up my
:20:25. > :20:29.mind. What are issues people according to your research are going
:20:30. > :20:34.to focus on sharply in the months ahead? Immigration and the economy
:20:35. > :20:38.and, of course, the effect on the money in your pocket and your job.
:20:39. > :20:44.35% of people say they could still change their minds. So, it could go
:20:45. > :20:48.either way quite frankly. But ultimately, it is about immigration.
:20:49. > :20:51.Has the Prime Minister got enough? Before he announced this most
:20:52. > :20:55.thought he wouldn't. I suspect their views aren't really Going Concern to
:20:56. > :20:59.change. Ultimately, I think the economy is a magnetic stone in this
:21:00. > :21:04.and that for many people may end up being the deciding factor.
:21:05. > :21:09.We have spent a lot of time looking at the detail of the deal that the
:21:10. > :21:15.Prime Minister negotiated which was announced last night. To what extent
:21:16. > :21:18.will the detail of that deal change people's minds or influence them or
:21:19. > :21:20.are people already in a position where they're pretty certain? Most
:21:21. > :21:25.people say they've made up their minds and I don't think the detail
:21:26. > :21:31.of the deal is going to be something that everybody's going to be pouring
:21:32. > :21:34.over word by word. You have to remember that only 16% of the
:21:35. > :21:40.British public, just last week, said this was the biggest issue facing
:21:41. > :21:45.the country. So it's not necessarily capturing everybody's imagination.
:21:46. > :21:49.Even back in 1975 when we last had a referendum only 65% of people voted,
:21:50. > :21:53.which was well below the average turnout in general elections at that
:21:54. > :21:58.time. So, I think it's going to be a real challenge to engage the whole
:21:59. > :22:02.population in this. Ben, interesting to talk to you, thank you very much.
:22:03. > :22:04.And just a reminder that you can find detail,
:22:05. > :22:06.background and analysis about the referendum
:22:07. > :22:17.and all the issues involved on our website at bbc.co.uk/news.
:22:18. > :22:21.There are lots of valuable analysis and blogs by people all on that site
:22:22. > :22:24.for you. In Scotland, Wales
:22:25. > :22:26.and Northern Ireland, the devolved administrations
:22:27. > :22:27.have their own perspectives I'll be talking to our
:22:28. > :22:30.correspondents in Belfast and Cardiff in a moment,
:22:31. > :22:32.but first to Edinburgh, where the Scottish
:22:33. > :22:36.government says it remains committed to making the case for Britain
:22:37. > :22:38.remaining in the European Union. Our Scotland editor
:22:39. > :22:48.Sarah Smith has the latest. Your sense of how this is likely to
:22:49. > :22:52.develop, Sarah? Well, in Scotland, the SNP are obviously by far the
:22:53. > :22:56.dominant party in Scottish politics and they say they will vigorously
:22:57. > :22:59.campaign to remain in the European Union and most of the other
:23:00. > :23:03.political parties agree with them, most senior politicians in Scotland
:23:04. > :23:07.will be campaigning to stay in. The polls suggest at the moment, at
:23:08. > :23:12.least, that a lot of Scottish voters agree with them, around 60% in most
:23:13. > :23:16.polls say they'll opt to stay in. With a sense that Scotland is really
:23:17. > :23:21.the most enthusiastic part of Britain when it comes to EU
:23:22. > :23:25.membership. You won't hear that many voices here campaigning to leave.
:23:26. > :23:28.That has created a situation where the First Minister says it would be
:23:29. > :23:33.unfair if Scotland were to be forced out of the EU if a majority of Scots
:23:34. > :23:36.vote to stay in, but the UK votes to leave, that Scotland should not be
:23:37. > :23:40.propelled outside the European Union against its will. In those
:23:41. > :23:44.circumstances, she says, it may be necessary to have a second
:23:45. > :23:47.referendum on Scottish independence. One that in those circumstances the
:23:48. > :23:51.nationalists might be more likely to win. Now, a lot of ifs in that, of
:23:52. > :23:54.course and Scottish voters may change their minds about the EU
:23:55. > :23:58.during the course of this campaign. But as it looks now, they certainly
:23:59. > :24:03.seem keen on staying in. Thank you very much.
:24:04. > :24:07.What about Wales? In Wales, there's also concern
:24:08. > :24:09.the referendum could overshadow Your perspective on that and how you
:24:10. > :24:26.Wales correspondent. Your perspective on that and how you
:24:27. > :24:30.think the state of public opinion in Wales is showing right now? Well,
:24:31. > :24:34.the latest poll from last week suggests that actually those who
:24:35. > :24:37.want to leave are ahead in this race. For two years or so they've
:24:38. > :24:43.been behind but the latest poll gives them a lead of about 8%. Now,
:24:44. > :24:50.big issues here, not least the crossover between the Welsh Assembly
:24:51. > :24:53.elections and that referendum. Carwyn Jones was one of the First
:24:54. > :24:56.Ministers who wrote to David Cameron saying he doesn't want to happen. He
:24:57. > :25:00.will be leading the campaign here in Wales, I guess already he is making
:25:01. > :25:03.arguments about the cash, the fact that Wales is somewhere that has a
:25:04. > :25:09.net benefit, it gets more money back from Europe than it puts in. He
:25:10. > :25:12.argues that some 200,000 jobs depend on European trade. However, the
:25:13. > :25:16.other camp already have arguments back. They say, well, what is Europe
:25:17. > :25:20.doing, for example, about steel? Hundreds of steel jobs under threat
:25:21. > :25:24.here in Wales. What is the EU doing about that? The party to watch in
:25:25. > :25:26.the Welsh elections is Ukip, no seats at the moment here, some
:25:27. > :25:31.people already projecting eight or nine seats for them in May. Will the
:25:32. > :25:35.crossover in the two campaigns actually boost those numbers even
:25:36. > :25:39.further? Watch and see. Interesting, thank you very much.
:25:40. > :25:41.In Northern Ireland, the main parties in the government
:25:42. > :25:43.take different positions on whether the UK should remain
:25:44. > :25:47.Chris Buckler is our Ireland correspondent.
:25:48. > :25:52.Your perspective on how the parties are lining up there? Yes, it's worth
:25:53. > :25:56.remembering as well that Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK
:25:57. > :25:59.to have a land border with another country in Europe. There are people
:26:00. > :26:03.wondering what would happen in the case of a vote it leave. Would it
:26:04. > :26:07.mean a return of checkpoints or controls along the border? People
:26:08. > :26:11.have used to open roads. However, saying that the DUP, the biggest
:26:12. > :26:14.party in Northern Ireland, it has always been sceptical about Europe
:26:15. > :26:17.and today it urged people to vote to leave. That's going to put them into
:26:18. > :26:21.conflict with the nationalist parties at Stormont, including the
:26:22. > :26:24.biggest partner in Government, Sinn Fein. They have always been
:26:25. > :26:28.pro-Europe. This referendum will be watched from the south, as well. The
:26:29. > :26:31.Irish Prime Minister has already voted in his view, he feels that
:26:32. > :26:34.Britain should vote to stay. It's very important to him because of the
:26:35. > :26:41.big trading links between the countries.
:26:42. > :26:45.Many thanks, Chris. Thank you to Hywel and Sarah before that.
:26:46. > :26:48.It's been a fast-moving 24 hours, from the sudden conclusion
:26:49. > :26:49.of negotiations in Brussels last night
:26:50. > :26:51.to the Prime Minister's announcement today
:26:52. > :26:52.and the divided response of Cabinet Ministers.
:26:53. > :26:54.We'll talk to Laura Kuenssberg again in a moment.
:26:55. > :27:00.a reminder of the main events of the past 24 hours.
:27:01. > :27:09.Within the last hour, I've negotiated a deal to give
:27:10. > :27:12.the United Kingdom special status inside the European Union.
:27:13. > :27:16.I believe that it is enough for me to recommend that the United Kingdom
:27:17. > :27:27.Foreign Secretary, why have you not convinced your colleagues?
:27:28. > :27:29.We are approaching one of the biggest
:27:30. > :27:33.decisions this country will face in our lifetimes.
:27:34. > :27:35.I'm voting to stay in the European Union.
:27:36. > :27:38.This is all about the Tory party, it's not about this country.
:27:39. > :27:40.I am ringing you from the Vote Leave campaign.
:27:41. > :27:46.the question is whether it was good enough for everyone to think
:27:47. > :27:56.and one word clearly sings out to me, and that is failure.
:27:57. > :28:02.He has got a better deal, but I'm not convinced.
:28:03. > :28:05.People who talk about us going out don't think about the cost of jobs.
:28:06. > :28:08.The choice goes to the heart
:28:09. > :28:11.of the kind of country we want to be,
:28:12. > :28:21.and the future that we want for our children.
:28:22. > :28:23.Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg is with me
:28:24. > :28:30.Really today has underlined there is a massive decision ahead of us.
:28:31. > :28:37.Indeed there is. It's a decision for all of us. Two extraordinary things
:28:38. > :28:40.now. We have a party in Government, publicly divided with permission. Of
:28:41. > :28:44.course, normally Governments have to try to stick together. They all have
:28:45. > :28:48.to tow the line to get through the week. That's now not going on with
:28:49. > :28:52.people in charge behind that door. They're split and publicly so. But
:28:53. > :28:56.the other extraordinary thing is that all of us have a chance to
:28:57. > :28:59.choose to leave one of the institutions that has had
:29:00. > :29:03.significant control over the laws in this country and really, therefore,
:29:04. > :29:06.all of our lives for decades now. It is a huge decision. It will be about
:29:07. > :29:12.the economy. It will be about security. But it will also be about
:29:13. > :29:16.people's instinct and their identity. An unpredictable campaign
:29:17. > :29:19.lies ahead and it won't be dull. Thank you very much.
:29:20. > :29:22.And that's it for this BBC News Special from Downing Street
:29:23. > :29:26.that the referendum on Britain's future in the European Union
:29:27. > :29:28.will be held in four months' time on 23rd June.
:29:29. > :29:32.It will be the first time for over 40 years that British voters
:29:33. > :29:37.will be consulted about the UK's place in Europe.
:29:38. > :29:40.We'll be back with the latest at 10.15 tonight on BBC One,
:29:41. > :30:01.Oh, you're making your teddy bear. Were you not frightened?