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Timeline Bloomberg speech Jan 2013 Referendum Bill blocked Jan 2014 European Parliament election May 2014 2015 general election May 2015 Renegotiation begins Jun 2015 Referendum Act passed Dec 2015 Renegotiation concluded Feb 2016 Referendum held Jun 2016 David Cameron resigns as PM Jul 2016 Theresa May becomes PM Jul 2016 Article 50 judgement Jan 2017 Brexit plan presented Feb 2017 Notification Act passed Mar 2017 Article 50 invoked Mar 2017 Repeal Bill plan presented Mar 2017 2017 general election Jun 2017 Brexit negotiations begin Jun 2017 Withdrawal Act passed Jun 2018 Chequers plan presented Jul 2018 Withdrawal agreement plan presented July 2018 Withdrawal agreement released Nov 2018 Scottish Continuity Bill blocked Dec 2018 Meaningful votes Jan–Mar 2019 Brexit delayed until 12 April Mar 2019 Cooper–Letwin Act passed Apr 2019 Brexit delayed until 31 October Apr 2019 European Parliament election May 2019 Theresa May resigns as PM Jul 2019 Boris Johnson becomes PM Jul 2019 Prorogation and annulment Aug–Sep 2019 Benn Act passed Sep 2019 Withdrawal agreement revised Oct 2019 Brexit delayed until 31 January Oct 2019 2019 general election Dec 2019 Agreement Act passed Jan 2020 UK leaves the European Union Jan 2020 Implementation period begins Jan 2020 UK–EU trade deal agreed Dec 2020 Future Relationship Act passed Dec 2020 Scottish Continuity Act passed Dec 2020 Implementation period ends Dec 2020 New EU–UK relationship begins Jan 2021 UK–EU trade deal ratified Apr 2021 Windsor Framework released Feb 2023 Windsor framework adopted Mar 2023
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The Bloomberg speech was an address on Britain's membership of the European Union, given in January 2013 by David Cameron, the then Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Although presented while the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government was in office, it was given as a party political speech rather than one given on behalf of the UK Government, without the support of the Liberal Democrats.

This was the first major Eurosceptic speech to be given by a serving Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher's Bruges speech in 1988, and would mark the beginning of a series of events starting with the 2015–2016 United Kingdom renegotiation of European Union membership that would ultimately lead to Brexit (the United Kingdom leaving the European Union) seven years later in 2020, thereby ending 47 years of EU membership.

Composition

The speech was drafted by Edward Llewellyn, the Downing Street Chief of Staff, along with John Casson, Tim Kiddell, and Helen Bower-Easton, with the opening few pages written by Clare Foges.

Content

The speech on 23 January 2013 at Bloomberg London covered the UK's future relationship with Europe. The Prime Minister called for fundamental reform of the European Union (EU) and called for an in–out referendum (the Brexit referendum) to be held on the UK's membership.

Simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice is a path to ensuring that when the question is finally put – and at some stage it will have to be – it is much more likely that the British people will reject the EU.

That is why I am in favour of a referendum. I believe in confronting this issue – shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away.

— David Cameron

Outcome

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Initially, the speech had little impact politically as at the time polls were suggesting that the subsequent general election would result in a hung parliament. With both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats being opposed to an in–out referendum, it was expected that the Conservatives would ultimately have to renege on any promise to hold a referendum if they were to remain in government. The Conservative Party included the referendum in their manifesto for the 2015 general election. Support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) dropped substantially and the Conservatives won an unexpected small overall majority; the referendum was held in June 2016.

See also

• Balance of Competences Review
• 2015–2016 United Kingdom renegotiation of European Union membership
• 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum

References

1. Cameron, David (2019). For the Record. United Kingdom: William Collins. p. 411. ISBN 9780008239282.
2. "EU Speech at Bloomberg". UK Gov. 23 January 2013.
3. "Is it "The Bloomberg Speech"?". BBC News. 28 January 2013.
4. "Read the speech that was the start of the end of David Cameron". The Independent. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
5. "David Cameron's EU speech – full text". The Guardian. 23 January 2013.
6. "David Cameron's EU speech in full". The Telegraph. 23 January 2013.

• Premiership of David Cameron
• Brexit
• 2013 in the United Kingdom
• 2013 speeches