Referendum in Britain carries risk of exit from EU

DOMESTIC EUROSKEPTICISM

Cameron told reporters that he had achieved all his main negotiating aims in the deal, saying that Britain has secured recognition that it is not committed to further political integration into the EU, and will "be permanently out of ever-closer union."

Meanwhile, under the deal, Britain can apply a "safeguard mechanism" that will restrict migrant workers' access to social benefits in Britain for four years, gradually raising entitlement over this period.

However, the outcome of the referendum is far from certain as the country had a long tradition of euroskepticism and opinion polls indicated that British voters are evenly divided.

Hours after Friday's agreement, Justice Secretary Michael Gove and five other ministers said they would campaign against him in the referendum. Popular London Mayor Boris Johnson was also among the opponents.

Cameron "didn't want a referendum, he was bounced into doing it,"

said Las Carswell, member of the euroskeptic UK Independence Party. "He's been the actor in this production, he is not writing the script, or directing it, or producing it."

Pat McFadden, Labor's former Europe minister, lashed out at Cameron's poor understanding of the EU, saying "he does not always do his homework on a European level."

If Britain votes in the referendum to leave the EU, pressure would rise for a second independence referendum in Scotland, said Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, on Saturday.

"If we get into the situation, where Scotland votes to stay in, the rest of the UK votes to come out, then people in Scotland will have big questions they will want to look at again about whether Scotland should be independent," said Sturgeon.

Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond also said that if Scots were dragged out against their will by the votes of a much larger English electorate, the pressure for another independence referendum in Scotland would be irresistible.