London--Prime Minister David Cameron sought Monday to calm a row over the forthcoming EU referendum after he angered eurosceptics by appearing to suggest that ministers must campaign for Britain to stay in the bloc or quit.
Speaking at the G7 summit in Germany, the Conservative leader said his remarks had been "misinterpreted" and insisted there was "unity" within his party over his plans.
Cameron, who was re-elected last month, is negotiating with European Union leaders to try to change the terms of Britain's membership of the bloc before holding an in-out referendum by 2017.
He told reporters on Sunday that his goal was to "renegotiate, get a deal that's in Britain's interest and then recommend Britain stays in it".
He continued: "If you want to be part of the government you have to take the view that we are engaged in an exercise of renegotiation to have a referendum and that will lead to a successful outcome."
The press and eurosceptic Conservative lawmakers viewed his comments to mean that ministers who wanted Britain to leave the EU would have to leave the government.
AFP
