EU referendum: UK Prime Minister David Cameron sets June date for EU in/out referendum

Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU on Thursday 23 June 2016.

The prime minister made this announcement outside 10 Downing Street after briefing the cabinet.

He said he would be campaigning to remain in a reformed EU - and called the vote one of the biggest decisions "in our lifetimes".

Ministers immediately divided up into the leave and remain camps as the campaigns got under way.

The referendum date announcement comes after renegotiations on the UK's relationship with Europe were finalised on Friday night after intense negotiations at a two-day summit in Brussels.

The agreement, which will take effect immediately if the UK votes to remain in the EU, includes changes to migrant welfare payments, safeguards for Britain's financial services and making it easier to block unwanted EU regulations.

Some Conservative MPs have announced their intention to back the prime minister. The Labour Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats are also in favour of staying in.

But UKIP and many Conservative's have announced they will back the leave campaign including Mr Cameron's long-time ally, Justice Secretary Michael Gove.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has previously been a Eurosceptic, has declared that he is for leaving Europe.

According to the latest opinion polls, the British public are thought to be fairly evenly split.