David Cameron accuses Gordon Brown of chopping and changing on the promised referendum on the EU Constitution.

The accusation is here:

“First he was against the Constitution, then he was for it; one day he promised a referendum, the next he backtracked. While he has chopped and changed, our position has remained exactly the same."

The first part is true, that Brown has indeed chopped and changed. The second is not, for the Tory Party and David Cameron have done the same thing.

From the 2005 Tory Manifesto:

"We oppose the EU Constitution and would give the British people the chance to reject its provisions in a referendum within 6 months of the General Election."

Cameron's current position is that:

"David promised that if the Constitution was not in force at the time of the General Election, a Conservative Government would hold a referendum on it, urge a no vote, and reverse Britain’s ratification if successful."

That is a change of position, that is chopping and changing.

"It's a classic political manouvre to accuse your opponent of what you yourself are doing" said Nigel Farage, UKIP leader. "This is just what Cameron has done. The last Conservative manifesto promised a referendum, no ifs or buts, just like the Labour one did. Now it's been weakened to only if no one else minds very much.

"Only one of the major political parties at these euro-elections has not chopped and changed over this EU Constitution and that's us in UKIP. Regardless of what other people or other countries do we call for, now as then, a referendum in which the British people can decide for themselves. We know that the majority do not want more integration, more handing away of our freedoms and it's about time they were allowed to stand up and say so."