Michael Howard: Ex-Tory leader calls for ministers to be given free vote on EU exit

Several Cabinet ministers are thought to be ready to quit if David Cameron tries to make them collectively back an 'in' vote

Michael Howard (Getty)

Lord Howard, the former leader of the Conservative Party, has become the most senior Tory figure to call for ministers to be allowed to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union (EU).

David Cameron has so far refused to say whether he will allow Cabinet colleagues to break free from collective responsibility and campaign against him if he was to support a vote to stay in the EU in the referendum. But the intervention by Lord Howard, who is still close to the Prime Minister, suggests that he will allow a “free” campaign when he announces the date for the EU referendum – possibly as soon as February.

“For now, Cabinet ministers are too busy running their departments and they shouldn’t have time to campaign one way or another on the referendum,” Lord Howard told BBC Radio 4’s The World this Weekend.

“But when it comes to the campaign, if there are cabinet ministers who feel strongly that we should vote to leave the European Union, they should certainly be allowed to do so without losing their seat.”

Several Cabinet ministers are thought to be ready to quit if Mr Cameron tries to make them collectively back an “in” vote. These are thought to include the Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling and the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith.