EU summit: 'I was here until 5am but there's still no deal' - David Cameron resumes battle to agree reforms - live

When David Cameron has secured his “new settlement” for Britain in Europe, the hard task begins of selling the deal to the British public, reports Peter Foster, Europe Editor and Matthew Holehouse in Brussels.

Having been so widely derided as “thin gruel” sources close to Downing Street have indicated that the campaign will pivot rapidly away from the minutiae of this text to focus on broader themes they believe will persuade voters that Britain will be safer, more prosperous and respected in the world if they opt to remain in the EU.

Security

One of Mr Cameron’s top three themes will be security, a message he advanced at the Munich Security summit earlier this month in a speech warning that it was “vital” for Britain to remain in Europe in order to face down “dangerous and murderous ideologies”.

With western democracy and values now under threat from the rise of the Islamic State, the implosion of the Middle East, the migrant crisis and a revanchist Russia menacing Europe’s eastern border, the ‘In’ campaign will argue that Britain staying in Europe is key to faced down these existential challenges.

They will also warn that leaving Europe could put dangerous layers of bureaucracy between Britain and pan-European security organisations like Europol and the new Passenger Name Record (PNR), fingerprint and DNA database systems that are to be beefed up following last year’s Paris terror attacks.

The ‘out’ campaign will scorn such tactics, arguing that Nato is the back bone of European Security, not a sclerotic European bureaucracy that – as its handling of the migrant crisis has demonstrated – cannot agree on anything.

Economy

Backed by an overwhelming proportion of big business, the ‘in’ campaign will argue that a vote for Brexit will risk seriously undermining Britain’s future economic prosperity – costing jobs in manufacturing and the City, hitting exporters, weakening the pound and causing turmoil in the financial markets.

While the ‘out’ campaign argues that Brexit will free British businesses from stultifying European regulation and enable companies to compete better in the global economy, the ‘In’ crowd will warn it is unrealistic for the UK to cut 35 new trade deals involving more than 80 countries, while simultaneously negotiating a new relationship with Europe.

With both sides flinging wildly contrasting and contradictory numbers at each other, the ‘in’ will boil the arguments down to a single idea: “why take the risk?”

Sovereignty

Restoring Britain’s sovereignty will be a key aspect of the ‘out’ campaign as it appeals to the deep-seated notion of Britain as an island nation that has always stood apart from Europe and must now seize the chance to free itself from the python-like embrace of Brussels that is slowly suffocating Britain.

The ‘out’ campaign will hope this appeal to restore British independence will have an emotional resonance for many voters, but the ‘in’ campaign will counter hard, arguing that a Brexit scenario will actually lead to Britain having less power over its affairs, not more.

How? The answer lies in the so-called “Norway scenario”, where Britain does a deal to remain in the single market but still has to adhere to most EU regulations – over which it no longer has any control. “Most of the pay, none of the say” will be the refrain

Foreign Policy

Britain’s “place in the world” might be a nebulous concept, particularly at a time when US no longer appears willing to underwrite the global order as it once did, but the ‘in’ campaign will argue Britain will be weaker in the world for a Brexit.

Voters will also be asked to ponder what happens if a Brexit voter triggers a fresh Scottish referendum, potentially breaking the Union and raising questions about everything from the UK’s nuclear deterrent to our place on the UN Security Council.

Expect Barack Obama and other top US figures, like John Kerry, the US secretary of state, to make clear that the “special relationship” will be seriously diminished if the UK can no longer play the role of a transatlantic bridge into Europe – both diplomatically and for US corporate investment.

The ‘out’ camp will shrug this off as the global establishment closing ranks to prop up a status quo that is visibly failing, arguing that instead Britain must give up being Washington’s poodle and be free to cut trade and security deals with China and other rising new world powers.

Migration

Nigel Farage believes that free movement must be the defining issue of the out campaign. In addition, he has made clear he will raise the “risk” of refugees entering Britain after securing European passports, including raising the spectre of Cologne-style sex attacks.

Attempting to curb migration through restrictions on benefits and measures to end sham marriage loopholes are the centre-piece of the renegotiation. But few academics believe the ‘emergency brake’ on benefits will work.

Mr Cameron has in recent weeks attempted to neutralise the issue by claiming that Brexit could actually worsen the migration challenge by causing the French to abandon a treaty that allows the British border to be placed in France thereby bringing the problem all the way to Dover.

He has also highlighted the benefit to Britain of EU databases such as the Schengen Information System which allows the UK Border Agency to identify potential terrorists.

Culture and Values

For many, in the end, the EU referendum will not about facts but identity. What kind of country is Britain? Who do we really want to be?

Polls show a vast difference in age brackets, with the young far more likely to want to remain in the block than the old, but question marks over whether the younger can be turned out to vote on an issue that will decide their future.

The big question is whether it is more patriotic to declare self-governance, or to be part of a pan-European system of co-operation? Are Outers just small-minded ‘little Englanders’ – or are they brave globalists seeking to conquer new horizons?

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/579309/s/4db3346a/sc/13/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cnewstopics0Ceureferendum0C1216460A70CEU0Ereferendum0Eeu0Esummit0Edavid0Ecameron0Ebrexit0Elive0Bhtml/story01.htm