Gordon Brown resists calls for referendum

The Prime Minister has resisted calls for a UK referendum on the EU Reform treaty.

But at the start of the EU summit in Lisbon he has vowed to safeguard the British national interest.

A poll has showed 69 per cent of voters backed a national ballot.

Gordon Brown insisted the new text would result in no "fundamental changes".

And he stressed his determination to preserve the UK's "red line" opt outs.

The EU leaders gathered in the Portuguese capital are expected to reach a final political agreement on the treaty on Thursday night.

The reform treaty is designed to streamline EU decision-making and avoid inevitable bureaucratic gridlock as the Union expands to include more and more member states.

But the search for a deal has triggered Eurosceptic warnings that the exercise is an excuse to push for a federal Europe.

And Mr Brown has insisted on "red lines" - enabling the UK to opt out of EU deals affecting foreign policy, defence, criminal justice and home affairs issues, tax and social security.

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