UK Might Leave EU in 2016 – Government Source

Britain might hold an in/out referendum on its EU membership as early as July 2016.

Britain has always had mixed feelings about its EU membership. Next summer, the people of Britain will have an opportunity to vote on whether they want to be part of the union after the re-elected David Cameron government promised to hold an in/out referendum on the UK's membership, the Guardian reported.

During the election campaign, Prime Minister Cameron promised to hold a referendum by 2017, if he was re-elected. But it looks like the "mood now is definitely to accelerate the process and give us the option of holding the referendum in 2016," said a government source, cited by Euobserver.

Before the referendum, Britain will attempt to re-negotiate its membership terms, hoping to a "better deal" in Europe. Then, British voters can decide whether they want to stay in the EU or not.

One of the reasons why the British government decided to hold the referendum earlier than planned is due to the fact that both France and Germany, two of the biggest players in the EU, will be preoccupied with their national elections in 2017. France and Germany will probably have the final word on much of the concessions that Britain will receive, if it decides to stay in the EU. Thus, the Cameron government thought it would be wiser to bother them with its referendum issue before Berlin and France sink into their domestic politics.

Scotland might present a bit of a problem for Cameron. Following last year's referendum, when Scotland voted to remain in the UK, Cameron made it clear that Scotland cannot expect another referendum.

However, if the Brits vote in favor of getting out of the EU, Scotland, which is fairly pro-EU, might want to remain in the EU, thus leaving the UK.