The Mail on Sunday noted that a cross-party alliance of peers formerly employed by the EU institutions has helped to inflict a series of defeats to the Government’s proposed EU “referendum lock” in the House of Lords. The Government has suffered a series of defeats, by a handful of votes, which have significantly weakened the Bill that is designed to prevent the future transfer of significant powers to Brussels without the consent of voters in a referendum.

The group includes former Commissioners Lord Brittan, Lord Mandelson and Lord Kinnock who are all entitled to an annual EU pension of up to £100,000 a year.

Open Europe was quoted saying, “It is no surprise that many of the Lords most opposed to giving the British people a say on the future of the EU have close links to the EU institutions and in some cases get EU pensions. It is the EU elite, not the people, who got it wrong on the euro.”
Open Europe blog Mail on Sunday

The Mail on Sunday suggested that David Cameron’s most senior aide, Steve Hilton, could support calls to pull out of the EU and the European Court of Human Rights.
Mail on Sunday

Saturday’s Express reported that, in a private letter to one of his constituents, Ed Milliband expressed his belief “that a referendum on UK membership of the EU is [not] appropriate at this time”.
Saturday’s Express

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