Will Britain's position with one foot in and one foot out of Europe spark the rise of the far-right in the upcoming elections? experts grill MEPs Cashman and Ashworth.

In or out: UK ambivalence towards EU its own downfall?

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Hello, and welcome from  the Parliament in Brussels

less than two months  before the European elections.

Richard Ashworth from the European  Conservatives and Reformists,

and Michael Cashman from the Socialists.  A warm welcome to you both.

We're focusing today  on the United Kingdom,

trapped in ambivalence about many aspects  of the UK's relationship with the EU.

Linking up with us from the UK and  Brussels are three expert contributors:

Walter Boettcher, director of research  and forecasting at Colliers UK,

Pieter Cleppe, head of the Brussels office  of Open Europe,

and Richard Templer, professor of  chemistry at Imperial College London.

Richard Ashworth,  let's turn straight to business

and ask you, if you look in particular  at the recent rise of populism in Europe -

one only has to look at France and the UK  to get a good example of that -

what do you think is at stake in these  elections? Briefly, before we start.

I don't think that anybody would deny  Europe has to change.

It goes on around the world. You have to  keep up with change or you become history.

To what extent and how fast  can Europe change?

And is Britain best suited to being the agent  of change within the European Union

or, as some would argue, outside  the European Union going it alone?

Michael Cashman, over to you.  You have to distinguish yourself

from that broad Conservative message  in the Socialists. What do you say?

My fear, and I'm not standing  for re-election,

is that if we don't get the right pro-European  parties elected to the Parliament,

we will see 28 countries  working against one another

rather than working with their collective  clout, and we lose a social Europe

and we lose a Europe  based on fundamental human values.

But it looks like we're set fair  for that very scenario that you fear

if you look at the rise of populism, as I said,  in France, the UK and other EU countries.

The rise of populism is based a great deal  on the propaganda and misinformation

Central to that is that we need to open up  the Council of Ministers

so that people see what  their governments do in secret in Europe.

In the election campaign we have  everything to fight for, everything to gain,

and I think if the polls say the extreme right  is on the rise, it's a challenge to all of us.

OK, we'll thrash out more no doubt  during the course of this programme.

Let's turn to our guests  and allow them put questions to our MEPs.

We'll go first to Walter Boettcher,  a director at Colliers UK,

an American-based company with big  property and investment business interests

across Europe and its borders,  if I'm right, Walter.

I'd like to give you 20-30 seconds maximum  to put your position

Thank you very much.  We're a cross-border business

and to fragment Europe would fragment  our business, increase our cost base

and make it difficult  to deliver the seamless services

From my perspective  and that of the company,

all we're looking for is certainty,  predictability and consistency.

The question I'd have for the MEPs  to start with is:

Is this EU referendum  really going to happen

or is this about the UK positioning itself  to opt back out of the social chapter?

Or is this to do with maintaining  London's financial pre-eminence?

Richard Ashworth, that's a blindingly  obvious question. You first.

I don't think, Walter,  that holds any fears for anybody.

I talked about the need for change  in the European Union

and David Cameron has some very clear  views on the changes he wants to see.

These are common-sense changes  which might affect you,

for example, completion of  the Single Market or the Services Directive,

to make it easier to do that  cross-border trade which you want to do,

to make the European Union  more competitive.

The determination of the prime minister  is that you'd negotiate

and on the basis of that negotiation put it to  the people to give it democratic legitimacy.

Does that mean there's a possibility  that if David Cameron's negotiations

on the reforms that he's set out  for the EU are successful

and he can go to the British people  and say, 'Look what we got out of Europe',

No, I don't think it would be cancelled.  It is the right thing to be doing.

The reforms we're talking about  are not earth-shattering.

They're just the common-sense reforms  that not just the UK wants to see.

All the other Member States,  or most of them, want to see them too.

Walter, I think it is peculiarly  a British position being played out.

Sadly, I disagree with Richard because the  statement on commitment to a referendum

is more about keeping certain wings  of the Conservative party happy

and trying to shut them up.  And, of course, they won't shut up.

The renegotiations  that Cameron's talked about...

He hasn't even spelt out which areas  he wishes to negotiate or renegotiate,

I see it as a distraction  to set an arbitrary referendum for 2017

when you haven't even got  half of the countries on board,

let alone the other 27  which you need for treaty changes.

Not even setting out  what you want to renegotiate

is a complete distraction,  creates uncertainty,

and, I think, keeps inward investment  away from the United Kingdom,

because investors want long-term certainty.

Richard Ashworth, would you like  to respond to those questions?

I would. It would be inappropriate  for David Cameron

to show his hand at this stage  and say what he wants to renegotiate,

but, for what it's worth,  I have a six-point plan. I have a plan:

formalise the rights  of the non-eurozone countries,

particularly within the Single Market,  refocus resources

so that we put all our efforts  into jobs, growth and competitiveness...

Richard, this isn't renegotiation.  Nobody would disagree.

These are the changes we want to see.  Just let me finish.

Let us be honest.  David Cameron really wants

to create a kind of  offshore sweatshop of Britain,

He talks about the burden  of regulation on employers.

Good employers don't need  the burden of regulation. They do it.

Bad employers do, and that's why  we see people trying to circumvent