. Prime Minister David Cameron announced the referendum to honor a promise made in 2013 that he will hold such an exercise before the end of 2017 if the Conservatives won the 2015 general election. . The call for an in-out referendum emerged as some Britons, including Cameron, felt things were wrong with the EU and the U.K. has not been served a fair deal since 1975.. Since the beginning, the U.K. chose not to adopt the euro and also opted out of the Schengen Treaty that sets the border controls across the EU.. Those seeking an exit believes the U.K. would be better off taking control of its affairs and they can better utilize their money themselves than paying Brussels.