英国将在2017年举行全民公投 决定是否退出欧盟

The British Parliament looks set to vote in favour of a referendum which could result in the UK exiting the European Union. The vote follows an election promise by Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is negotiating better terms for EU membership before an 'in-out' referendum by the end of 2017.

In the UK Parliament foreign secretary Philip Hammond said Britain wanted a fundamental change in its relationship with the EU. The 28-nation bloc had, he said, changed beyond recognition.

"We believe Brussels has got too much power and we believe some of that power should be brought back to national capitals. In a world whose central economic gravity is shifting fast, Europe faces a serious challenge," Hammond said.

Mass immigration, a consequence of the EU's Freedom of Movement rules, have seen those registering for National Insurance in Britain rise by more than 220 per cent in the last year alone. In the last two elections such numbers became a major doorstep issue.

But winning a vote here in Britain's House of Commons could be the easy bit for the UK's ruling Conservatives. Even among friends in Europe there's a reluctance to engage in the complex treaty changes Britain is demanding in its own national interests.

"I believe it's in our national interest to try and make changes in the European Union, and changes in our membership, and then giving a final decision to the British people. British people then to decide," Cameron said.

At home Cameron faces another challenge, as euro-sceptics among his own Parliamentary ranks ready themselves for a battle to exit the EU even before negotiations are underway. Big business in Britain with a few exceptions tends to favour membership, while among smaller firms there's a greater antipathy to EU red tape.

So a sizeable body opinion in the UK believes the EU's third largest economy could go it alone, making this referendum a high risk strategy for the possibly dramatic outcome.