From The Sun:
Germany was secretly in control of David Cameron’s EU renegotiation throughout – and talked him out of asking for a key immigration block, Iain Duncan-Smith today claims.
The former Work and Pensions Secretary breaks ranks to sensationally lift the lid on the Cabinet’s bid to redraw Britain’s membership.
He insists that at the last minute, the PM allowed Angela Merkel to sabotage his promised ‘red line’ demand for an emergency brake to halt new arrivals.
Mr Cameron agreed to drop his centrepiece demand less than 24 hours before he planned to spell it out publicly for the first time after furious protest from Berlin.
Delivering his biggest attack on No10 yet in the EU referendum fight, pro-Brexit IDS declares on Germany’s hidden role: “It’s like they were sitting in a room, even when they were not there.
“There was a spare chair for them – called the German Chair.
“They have had a de facto veto over everything.”
The drama between the two capitals took place just before Mr Cameron delivered a key speech to set out what he would demand from the EU as Britain’s price for remaining in it on November 27, 2014.
The former Tory leader told The Sun last night: “I saw the draft.
“I know that right up until the midnight hour, there was a strong line in there about restricting the flow of migrants from the European Union – an emergency break on overall migration.
“That was dropped, literally the night before.
“And it was dropped because the Germans said if that is in the speech, we will have to attack it.
“The whole thing was shown to them.
“The Germans said from the outset, you are not getting border control. Full stop.”
Read the rest of The Sun’s piece here.