Queen Elizabeth to unveil EU referendum plans as UK parliament opens

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will set out the government’s plans for a European Union membership referendum on Wednesday, as Prime Minister David Cameron faces pressure to explain when it will be held and what changes to the EU he wants before then. Cameron, who says he would prefer to stay inside a reformed EU but isn’t “ruling anything out” if it fails to change, was re-elected on May 7 on a pledge to reshape ties with the bloc before allowing Britons to vote on whether to stay or leave.

I think we need a proper grown-up debate – it’s the most important constitutional issue of my lifetime. It’s something that we should properly take our time over.

Liam Fox, a senior Conservative and a former defence secretary

Queen Elizabeth, 89, will detail the plans in a speech written for her by Cameron’s government as she opens parliament with an annual display of pomp. She will say the new Conservative government plans to pass a law in its first year that would allow the referendum to occur by the end of 2017. The law will be introduced into parliament just a day later, on Thursday, as Cameron embarks on a European tour to try to charm sometimes reluctant counterparts into backing EU reform. Cameron has said he would be ready to hold the referendum before 2017 if he completes the renegotiation early.

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