Britain 'A Step Closer' to EU Deal

BRUSSEL - David Cameron has said Britain is "a step closer" to agreeing a revamped relationship with the European Union after he laid out his position directly to EU leaders.

The Prime Minister spent over half an hour detailing the UK Government's concerns to all 27 other leaders in the bloc at a summit dinner in Brussels and hailed the discussion as "a big step forward".

Cameron said he believed he had secured "a pathway to a deal" and said 2016 would be the year for "fundamental change" for Britain in Europe.

He said It is going to be tough and there is a lot of hard work to do .

"But I believe 2016 will be the year we achieve something really vital, fundamentally changing the UK's relationship with the EU and finally addressing the concerns of the British people about our membership.

"Then it will be for the British people to decide whether we remain or leave. It is a choice we will all need to think hard about.

"I believe if we can get these reforms right - and I believe that we can I firmly believe that for our economic security and increasingly for our national security, the best future for Britain is in a reformed European Union."

The Prime Minister told Sky News that the controversial plan to attempt to limit EU migration by making migrants wait four years for benefits was still on the table for further discussion ahead of final decisions in February.

A long list of EU leaders had called the demand "unacceptable" just hours before the dinner.