David Cameron promised a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union before the end of 2017, but before it can take place he has vowed to secure a better deal for Britain.

January 2013 The Bloomberg speech. David Cameron sets out a sweeping vision for reform to save Europe, highlighting the working time directive and Brussels’ bloated bureaucracy, followed by an in-out referendum in 2017.

1 January 2014 Bulgarians and Romanians given unrestricted right to travel and work in the EU after joining in 2007. Government responds with new laws to deport beggars and powers to end dole payments after six months.

May 2015 Ukip come first in the European elections. Over the summer, Tory MPs Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless defect to Ukip.

June 2014 David Cameron is defeated in a bid to stop Jean-Claude Juncker becoming president of the European Commission by 26 to 2. Angela Merkel was due to support him, but changed her mind.

November 2014 Cameron sets out his plan to reform EU migration, by denying migrants in-work benefits for four years and deporting unemployed EU migrants after six months.

December 2014 Cameron is furious after Britain is hit with a £1.7 bn bill for EU membership, calculated due to the economy’s success compared to the Eurozone.

7 May 2015 David Cameron stuns Brussels by winning the General Election on a manifesto reform and referendum. The renegotiation process is launched, and Cameron launches a whirl-wind tour of Europe to visit all 27 counterparts.

June 2015 In first unpleasant shock of the renegotiation, the European Commission threatens to use British budget contributions in emergency loans to Greece – tearing up a promise won by David Cameron four years previously.

September 2015 As the refugee crisis engulfs the continent, Cameron is warned he will get nothing from his renegotiation unless he does more to tackle the crisis. He offers to take 20,000 refugees from Syria.

10 November 2015 David Cameron bows to Donald Tusk’s demand to produce a letter detailing his demands. It says that the four-year benefits curb is negotiable if states can offer an alternative idea.

29 November 2015 Faced with a wall of opposition, he hardens his stance on benefit reform – and tells a series of leaders he will quit unless he gets the four-year curb, and says he will force the issue at December’s European Council.

3 December 2015 Angela Merkel speaks to Mr Cameron by phone. Hours later, he admits there will be no deal before Christmas, with February the new target.

17-18 December 2015 European Council. Mr Cameron hopes to have a “substantive discussion” but the agenda is packed with terrorism and the migration crisis.

18-19 February 2016 European Council – the target date for Mr Cameron to seal a deal.

Spring 2016 As the warm weather returns, the migration crisis will flare up again – with 1.5 million people expected to enter Europe.