Summary

  • David Cameron seeks Polish support for his EU renegotiation proposals during trip to Warsaw

  • Polish PM says she support aspects of the UK's draft blueprint, such as enhanced national sovereignty and competitiveness

  • But Beata Szydlo says other areas, including curbs on EU migrants benefits, need to be 'ironed out'

  • The UK PM moves onto Denmark for talks with counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who gives full backing to his reforms

  • Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says a UN panel's ruling that Julian Assange be allowed to go free is 'ridiculous'

  • The head of the cross-party Remain in EU campaign, Lord Rose, says he expects a substantial win in the referendum

  1. Czech Republic: We approve UK plans on EUpublished at 08:34 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    BBC World Service

    Child refugeesImage source, AFP

    David Cameron is to brief parliament on the details of his proposals to renegotiate the UK's membership of the EU to try and gain MPs' support - but Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Prouza says the plans are acceptable to his government.

    The package allows Britain to exclude EU migrants from working tax benefits for at least four years - a plan opposed by many eastern European countries, especially Poland.

    But Mr Prouza told the BBC: "When I look at the numbers of how many people do come to the UK I believe the UK does have a case of many people coming in and needing to change its social system and deal with these numbers.

    "But what is also important for us in this deal is that it's not changing the rules for those already working in the UK, where they have been contributing to the system and for the new ones who want to come...

    "When you change the rules before they come they need to take that into account."

  2. Commission has found 'creative solutions' to UK concernspublished at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    Debate on EU leaders' summit

    European Parliament

    Jean-Claude Juncker

    European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker begins his speech on the subject of the migration crisis, telling MEPs that the EU will seek to "help" Greece control its borders, and not seek to "stigmatise" it. 

    However, he adds that "additional efforts by Greece are obviously going to be needed" to protect the external frontier of the Schengen zone. 

    Switching into English, he says that the Commission supports the text tabled yesterday on the UK's EU renegotiation, and that Commission officials have worked over several months to find "creative solutions" to the UK's concerns. 

    He continues that the yesterday's package of measures is "fair for the UK, and fair for the other 27 member states".

    He adds that under the deal, it is "fine" for the UK to acknowledge that it is "at the limit of its level of integration". 

  3. EU reaction to treaty proposalspublished at 08:21 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    BBC correspondents in France, Germany, Hungary and Poland assess the reaction to the draft deal on EU reform.

  4. UK referendum 'first order' event for EUpublished at 08:21 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    Debate on EU leaders' summit

    European Parliament

    Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders begins the debate on behalf of the Dutch Presidency of the EU. 

    The Netherlands is currently in charge of chairing meetings of the EU's Council of Ministers, a post it will hold until the end of June. 

    He tells MEPs that he hopes yesterday's draft deal "paves the way" for a final deal to be struck later this month, but that further discussions are needed. 

    He says the Dutch Presidency will aim to ensure "constructive dialogue" takes place between EU leaders, to find a deal that makes the EU work better for the UK but also "all other member states".  

    The referendum, he adds, will be a "political event of the first order" for the Union. 

    Bert Koenders
  5. Draft EU deal: What Cameron wanted and what he gotpublished at 08:20 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    Donald Tusk letterImage source, Reuters

    David Cameron has hailed a draft EU reform deal as delivering the "substantial changes" he wants to see to the UK's relationship with the 28-nation bloc.

    He says some work is needed to hammer out the details ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels on 18 February.

    But how does the 16-page letter drawn up by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, external, measure up to what the prime minister originally wanted from the negotiations?

    The BBC's chief correspondent Gavin Hewitt gives his verdict while Europe correspondent Chris Morris looks at how the deal will be perceived elsewhere in the EU.

    Read more

  6. EU reforms: 'Audacious demand' taken seriously by leaderspublished at 08:20 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    Katya Adler
    Europe Editor

    DraftImage source, AP

    Britain's relationship with the EU has been turbulent right from the start, when it joined the bloc over 40 years ago.

    Who can forget Margaret Thatcher's speech in the House of Commons, with her: "No, no, no" to European integration and a single currency?

    It's never been a marriage of conviction. More assumed convenience. Sometimes fruitful; often fraught.

    Now, viewed from Brussels, EU-UK relations have changed fundamentally again with what's seen here as Britain's audacious demand for reforms that Europe has taken seriously.

    This is the first time in EU history that one country has stood up in front of the rest, threatening to leave if the EU doesn't dance to its reformist tune.

    Read more

  7. Watch: Jimmy Carter on US campaign fundingpublished at 08:19 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

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  8. EU referendum: PM to defend reforms packagepublished at 08:13 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    David CameronImage source, AFP/Getty

    As mentioned, David Cameron is to attempt to persuade Conservative MPs (and others) to back a package of reforms he hopes will keep Britain in the European Union.

    The PM will field questions in the Commons about the draft deal paving the way for the UK's EU in-out referendum - one which is widely expected to be held in June.

    He said the deal would deliver the "substantial change" he has been demanding to how the EU is run.

    But some Tories are sceptical, with one senior minister telling the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg the deal was "a mess".

    MEPs will also debate the UK's position when the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg.

    Read more

  9. What the papers saypublished at 08:03 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    NewspapersImage source, PA

    After weeks of speculation about David Cameron's talks over the UK's relationship with Brussels, the papers finally get to assess the full package of proposed reforms. 

    "EU chief Donald Tusk saw him coming," the Sun says. The Daily Express is also scathing saying: "The only good thing that can be said for his efforts is that they clear the way for a referendum this summer. We say bring it on."

    The Mirror argues there is a "good case" for Britain staying in the EU but that Mr Cameron "isn't communicating it when he's more interested in presentation than substance". 

    But the PM wins support from the Financial Times, which says: "For all the criticism, Mr Cameron looks set to secure a reasonable deal for Britain. In each of the areas where he has sought reform, the prime minister has made tangible progress."

     Newspaper review in full: Deal or no deal?

  10. Double dose of Cameron v all-comers in the Commonspublished at 07:57 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    Prime Minister David Cameron was accused of disrespecting Parliament by not unveiling the draft EU deal in the Commons yesterday - no such problem today. He faces Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and backbenchers in his regular Prime Minister's Questions session at noon - and then goes straight into a statement on the deal where he could face more that an hour of questions and points from MPs. We'll have it all live in video on this page, with text commentary, reaction and analysis.  

  11. Wednesday - and the EU draft deal to dominate againpublished at 07:54 Greenwich Mean Time 3 February 2016

    The papers on Wednesday morning are quite clearly not all enamoured by the draft deal unveiled on Tuesday after months of talks about changing aspects of the UK's membership of the EU. David Cameron said the draft deal - which has to be agreed by all 28 EU members at their conference on 18/19 February - delivered the "substantial change" he wanted - but others disagreed, with UKIP leader Nigel Farage calling it a "pathetic" package. 

  12. Can the Cabinet's EU truce hold?published at 22:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    Laura Kuenssberg
    BBC political editor

    Conservative cabinetImage source, Getty

    While David Cameron's officials have been frantically negotiating the draft terms of a deal with the rest of the EU, his Cabinet colleagues, those who favour exit at least, have patiently been keeping their counsel.

    Last month after all, they were instructed by Number 10 that it wouldn't be appropriate to get stuck into the arguments before the deal was actually done and the government had taken its final position.

    But now the prime minister has been extolling the virtues of what's been achieved without that final agreement, can that truce hold?

    One senior government minister told me tonight "the 'deal' is a mess" - and I understand there is debate behind closed doors over whether those who favour exit should stick to the previous deal and keep quiet until the middle of the month or gingerly begin to make the case for exit.

    Read the rest of Laura's blog

  13. Obama backs UK staying in the EUpublished at 21:20 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    Cameron and ObamaImage source, AP

    David Cameron has updated Barack Obama on his EU negotiations, the White House says.

    It added: "The president reaffirmed continued US support for a strong United Kingdom in a strong European Union."

  14. May 'makes Cameron's day a little easier'published at 20:46 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    The Spectator

    Isabel Hardman, in the Spectator, external, says Theresa May's remarks suggesting there is the "basis for a deal" on EU reform have made a difficult day for David Cameron "a little easier".

  15. Grayling 'wound up' over EUpublished at 20:45 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    More from the BBC's James Landale on Commons leader Chris Grayling

    A Cabinet source said Mr Grayling spent the meeting getting more and more wound up, unfolding and folding his arms, as the EU was being discussed until he raised the question of collective cabinet responsibility.

    One source said Mr Grayling asked if the publication of the Tusk document changed the agreement on cabinet responsibility. Another said: "He asked the prime minister if he could 'begin his journey' sooner."

    The prime minister replied that an accommodation had been agreed with ministers on this issue and he reminded them they could not speak out until after the Cabinet had agreed its position following the summit in a couple of weeks' time.

    Crucially, I am told that no other minister in Cabinet spoke up for Mr Grayling, even though he had been seen talking intensely with the fiercely Eurosceptic Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, in the members' lobby of the House of Commons the night before.

    This evening Mr Grayling and his office was refusing to respond to calls.

  16. Grayling 'asked PM if he could campaign for Brexit'published at 20:43 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    James Landale
    Deputy political editor

    Chris Grayling

    The leader of the House of Commons, Chris Grayling, asked David Cameron at Cabinet this morning if it would be possible for ministers to campaign for leaving the EU now that the draft reform deal has been revealed.

    Mr Grayling has long been known to favour Brexit but the prime minister has told ministers they may not campaign to leave the EU until a reform deal has been agreed in Brussels and a position taken by the Cabinet.

  17. Conservative big names react to the EU dealpublished at 20:07 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    BBC News Channel

    BBC political correspondent Chris Mason says Theresa May's comments suggesting support for the PM's stance are "very interesting".

    The home secretary has been seen by Out campaigners as a potential leader for the campaign to leave, he says. London mayor Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has been "flirting" with the idea of leaving for months, he adds. Mr Johnson said he had "doubts" about the red card mechanism proposed by Donald Tusk.

  18. Spectator not impressed by EU deal?published at 19:42 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

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  19. Have Tory EU manifesto pledges been kept?published at 19:22 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    The Huffington Post

    HuffPost poliical editor Paul Waugh has blogged, external on his conclusions from the day's EU referendum developments. He thinks the Conservative manifesto pledges on EU reform have been "wheedled out of" - but does not think it matters in the grand scheme of things.

  20. WATCH: EU Council president Donald Tusk on 'high stakes'published at 19:15 Greenwich Mean Time 2 February 2016

    Media caption,

    Donald Tusk says there is a lot to do in securing Britain a new EU deal