The Chancellor says opposition parties should trust voters on the EU.
Chancellor George Osborne said it would be “odd” for Labour and the Liberal Democrats to go into the next general election telling voters that they do not trust them to make a decision on Britain’s future in Europe, while the Conservatives do.
Mr Osborne piled additional pressure on both Labour and the Lib Dems, who have refused to match Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise of an in/out referendum on EU membership in the course of the next Parliament.
The Chancellor rejected the warning from Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that the referendum pledge will create damaging uncertainty for business by “tying us up in knots” for years.
Mr Osborne told BBC1’s Breakfast: “I think we could find ourselves in a very odd situation if we get to a general election and parties like the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats are not prepared to trust the people.
“The Conservative Party is prepared to trust the people and we are going to ask people’s consent for that at the next general election.”
