“And I’ve battled on for 20 years. I’ve been laughed at, ridiculed, attacked, but at no point in the 15 years that I’ve now been an MEP, at no point have we ever had a full national debate about the merits or demerits of EU membership. And therefore, when the Deputy Prime Minister says he wants to go public and have a debate with me on this issue, I have absolutely no choice. I’ve got to say yes because we need to have a national debate on what I think is the most important issue this country has faced for hundreds of years in terms of our constitution.