David Cameron’s EU demands could damage the UK’s relationship with countries on the continent “beyond repair”, the SNP has warned.
The Prime Minister looks likely to call a decisive EU referendum in June after insisting he was “well on the way” to securing his renegotiation aims.
Speaking at the end of a two-day Brussels summit Cameron said “good progress” had been made towards an agreement in February and insisted he was a “step closer” to getting the reforms he wanted.
The SNP’s Europe spokesman at Westminster, Stephen Gethins MP, dismissed the Prime Minister’s statement.
Speaking to the Sunday Herald yesterday, he said: “The only thing that David Cameron is a ‘step closer' to is damaging the UK's relationship with the rest of the EU to beyond repair.
“We are in the simply astonishing situation of having a Prime Minister be completely controlled by a group of Eurosceptic backbenchers in his own party, acting without regard for anything else.
“Because of these petty squabbles within the Tory party, Scotland's position inside the EU is being put at risk.
“David Cameron would have been better to have engaged with the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government who put forward a positive and pro-active case for reform.
“The Scottish Government has a good relationship with partners across Europe and in the institutions but that is being jeopardised by David Cameron’s irresponsible action.”
Cameron has promised to hold a referendum before the end of 2017 but a deal at the next European Council summit in February would clear the way for the public vote to be held much earlier, with speculation that his preferred date is June 16.
“We've made good progress, we are a step closer to agreement on the significant and far-reaching reforms I have proposed,” he said on Friday.
“It is going to be tough and there is a lot of hard work to do.
“But I believe 2016 will be the year we achieve something really vital, fundamentally changing the UK's relationship with the EU and finally addressing the concerns of the British people about our membership.
“Then it will be for the British people to decide whether we remain or leave. It is a choice we will all need to think hard about.
“I believe if we can get these reforms right - and I believe that we can - I firmly believe that for our economic security and increasingly for our national security, the best future for Britain is in a reformed European Union.”
Cameron added: “We are well on the way to a deal, we have taken some good steps forward. Now we have got to bring it home.”
However, the exact shape of the agreement remains unclear after the summit, with the issue of welfare curbs on migrants proving tricky for the Prime Minister.
Many of the 27 other EU leaders have roundly dismissed Cameron's proposal of a four-year ban on migrants claiming in-work benefits, arguing it is discriminatory and against the core principle of freedom of movement.
Cameron has said the idea is still “on the table” and no alternatives have yet been formally mooted - although he has stressed he is ready to consider other options that would reduce “pull factors” for incomers.
A spokesman for the Leave.EU campaign hit back at the SNP.
“Dozens of countries across the world and even in Europe have a relationship with the EU based on peaceful trade and voluntary co-operation, without being members,” said the spokesman.
“It is amazing that a party like the SNP can be so enthusiastic for an organisation which is so hungry to wrest powers from elected parliaments.
“Consistent independence campaigners like the late Margo MacDonald always recognised that leaving the EU is a necessary precondition for real national independence, whether at the UK or Scottish level.”
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