British Eurosceptic MEPs rip into potential EU renegotiation "emergency brake" deal

The emergence of a possible face-saving deal that would fulfil David Cameron's key EU renegotiation demands saw the British Prime Minister cancel weekend plans to visit Denmark and Sweden and rush to Brussels for talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

The potential compromise deal would allow David Cameron to curb the amount of benefits payable to EU nationals working in the UK by applying a so-called "emergency migration brake".

Commenting on the emergence of the proposal on Thursday, Cameron said, "What's good is that others in Europe are bringing forward ideas to address this problem so we have better control of movement of people into our country."

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It's understood that implementing the emergency brake procedure would probably need the approval of a majority of EU member states.

Cameron is also set to have talks with European Council President Donald Tusk on Sunday in London in a bid to secure the broad support of the Union's national governments.

However British Brexit campaigners were quick to respond to the possible new compromise plan, which UK Conservative MEP Dan Hannan linked to a derisory 'Taking us for fools' hashtag on social media outlet Twitter.

 

Fellow Eurosceptic, UKip deputy Roger Helmer called the deal a "Chocolate teapot" querying, "An emergency brake subject to a Brussels veto? That's nothing like control of immigration, Dave. You asked for little, and got almost zilch."

 

 

Further condemnation came from British Conservative MEP, David Campbell Bannerman, who called the potential deal "Worthless".

 

 

UKip MEP Steven Woolfe argued that the potential deal highlighted David Cameron's lack of understanding of the migration issue, saying the "PM doesn’t get it."

 

 

Cameron's public manoeuvring as well as the intense behind the scenes negotiations by armies of diplomats in both Brussels and London is being viewed as confirmation that the British Prime Minister is keen to agree a speedy deal, to be officially approved at next month's EU summit on 18-19 February, which would pave the way for a potential British in-out referendum in June.