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UK PM said he never argued to leave EU

Reporter: Xu Zhen 丨 CCTV.com

05-05-2016 11:34 BJT

UK Prime Minister David Cameron insisted on Wednesday that he has never suggested leaving the European Union, following firm questions from a House of Commons select committee. Let's hear what he had to say.

"I've never argued for leaving. I haven't spent my political life arguing for leaving. I've said that I think we're better off in a reformed Europe, and as prime minister I've had the chance to deliver a reformed Europe. I'm not saying what we've achieved solves all of Europe's problems. I've even said, on many occasions before, it doesn't even solve all of Britain's problems with Europe, but nonetheless it does address some of the key problems. It was a successful negotiation, but when I said - as in that speech, and I've said it many other times - if this organisation the EU had rebuffed one of its leading members and contributors and said 'Look, we're simply not going to address these things, we're not prepared to talk to them,' we at that point would have had to say to ourselves 'Is this really an organisation for us if it's so deaf to the proposals of its members?' Now, I'm glad that it did respond, " said David Cameron UK prime minister.

Cameron recently renegotiated Britain's terms with the EU, but they will not come into effect after the country's June referendum. The prime minister also said Britain would be much better placed to argue for international tax regulations from within Europe. He said it was within Britain's interests to use to EU as a "battering ram" to secure favorable trade deals globally.

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