British ministers given free vote on EU membership

British ministers will be allowed to campaign against remaining in the EU, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday.

Cameron said his government would make a “clear recommendation” on whether the country should remain part of the 28-nation bloc once his renegotiation of Britain’s membership is complete.

In a move widely interpreted as an attempt to head off any split within the Cabinet, he signaled that ministers who oppose remaining in the EU following the renegotiation would be free to campaign as they wished.

British ministers usually follow a system of collective responsibility under which they must publicly support all government decisions, even if they privately oppose them. Tradition dictates that if they wish to publicly oppose the government they should resign.

In a statement to parliament, Cameron said: “My intention is that at the conclusion of the renegotiation, the government should reach a clear recommendation and then the referendum will be held.

“But it is in the nature of a referendum that it is the people, not the politicians, who decide.

“As I indicated before Christmas, there will be a clear government position but it will be open to individual ministers to take a different personal position while remaining part of the government.”

An “in-out” referendum on the U.K.’s continued EU membership is due to be held before the end of 2017.