Other EU countries strike very strange poses when it comes to the UK renegotiation. They tell us that they want us to stay in, and they also tell us they cannot possibly accommodate any of our wishes. They both tell us we will be better off by staying, and then lecture us on how we have to put up with all the things that clearly make us worse off inside the EU

Sometimes they move on to threaten us in unconvincing ways, implying they would no longer wish to sell us their cars and wine if we left. Now we have the French telling us we cannot expect to dine a la carte.

The French are of course wrong. We already do dine a la carte. The UK does not want the tough meat and gristle of economic, monetary and political union. We have opted out of the main course on this menu. If they wish us to stay in the restaurant, as they claim, they are going to need some tasty starters and delicious sweets to keep us going.

After all we cannot and will not order the chef’s special single currency dish at the heart of the table d’hote offering. Nor are many UK voters too keen on the amuse bouche of free movement of people, though we are told this is what you get in an expensive restaurant like the EU.

So what should the UK ask for in the renegotiation? What should Mr Cameron tell the other EU countries now the negotiations are underway? He should start with a clear statement that the UK wants to trade and be friends with them but has no wish to enter political and monetary union. He should remind them that the UK took the crucial decision not to join their centralised union when we decided to stay out of the euro. He should say what the UK wants is a fundamentally different relationship – a relationship based on mutual co-operation, joint action where both sides think it makes sense, and on tariff free trade. The UK will give up its right to tell the euro area what to do and to vote on their business, in return for being free to pursue our national interests without interference from the European Court and the Brussels bureaucracy.

David Fuller's view

This is all very sensible from John Redwood but I am not optimistic that David Cameron will be sufficiently successful in these negotiations.  Brussels officials certainly wish to keep the UK in the EU, but they know that is also Cameron’s view.  Moreover, they know that he only offered the Referendum to reduce defections to Nigel Farage’s UKIP.  Consequently, undecided voters are unlikely to be impressed by terms agreed by the EU.

Assuming this is the case, I will most likely vote to leave the EU.  If the ‘out’ vote succeeds it will concentrate minds in Brussels, leading to improved terms which may be acceptable.  Cameron could then call for a second referendum on that basis. I believe Boris Johnson also holds this view.