PM promises debate, not referendum

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The landmark accord at the summit in Lisbon settled years of argument about streamlining the workings of the EU.

And it effectively ruled out for decades any more "institutional navel-gazing".

Now Europe could get on with addressing issues of concern to ordinary people - jobs and prosperity and a sustainable environment in which to live, said the Prime Minister.

But Tory leader David Cameron called the refusal to seek the approval of UK voters a "denial of democracy" and vowed to continue pressing for a referendum.

"We will fight for a referendum. Gordon Brown made a promise to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution. This treaty is almost exactly the same as the Constitution and they have broken their promise," he said.

"We will fight for the referendum in the House of Commons and we will try to make sure he keeps his promise to the British people."

The summit deal extends majority voting to more than 50 extra areas of EU policy, reducing the right of one country to block deals and speeding up decision-making in the vastly-expanded EU.

But Mr Brown said he had resisted all efforts to apply new EU rules to UK policy on justice and home affairs, social security, foreign policy and defence.

In those areas, the "red lines" mean the UK can choose to opt in or opt out of joint EU deals. "We have fought off any attempt to change the treaty in a way which would threaten the red lines," Mr Brown told a press conference in Lisbon.