Cameron faces leadership questions over Europe

By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron faced questions about his leadership on Tuesday after he bowed to pressure from within the Conservative Party to bring forward draft legislation enforcing a referendum on Britain's European Union membership.

Just hours after U.S. President Barack Obama cautioned against rushing towards the EU exit, Cameron was forced by a rebellion in his party into promising a bill that would pave the way for an in-out vote on Europe.

Cameron denied the move was a desperate measure to placate his increasingly restive and eurosceptic party, where many see the EU as an oppressive and wasteful "superstate" that threatens Britain's sovereignty.

"I think when all the dust has settled people will be able to see the substance of the issue," he said.

"That is that one party, the Conservatives, has a clear agenda: renegotiate, change Europe, have a referendum on it - the others parties don't take that approach," he told Sky news.

But the more Cameron concedes to his eurosceptic lawmakers, the more they want, deepening the 25-year battle in his party over Europe and undermining his own chances of leading it to victory in a general election set for 2015.

Divisions over Europe helped bring down the last two Conservative prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and many politicians compared Cameron's position to that of Major whose premiership was riven by rows over Europe.

"There is no way that he (Cameron) can give in any further because he's undermining his own position," said Sheila Gunn, who served as spokeswoman to Major.

"Every time he gives in, the so-called rebels who want Britain to get out of the EU very quickly will just ask for something more."

CAMERON STRENGTHENED?

Conservative lawmakers who back the new bill deny the move undermines Cameron, and instead see it as a way to show a sceptical public that the Conservatives want a referendum on EU membership, but are being held back.

The party's Liberal Democrat partners in coalition government are pro-Europe, while the opposition Labour party says it does not support a referendum on the EU in 2017, the date proposed by Cameron earlier this year.

"We've set out our position and published this bill to give the British people an in-out referendum on Europe ... Now it's vital to hear whether Labour and the other parties are actually prepared to trust the British public," Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said in a statement.

Cameron's advisers hope the draft bill on an EU vote will end the bickering, and a Downing Street spokesman insisted Cameron was still in charge.

Liam Fox, a standard bearer for anti-EU Conservatives and a former party leadership contender, denied the party was in disarray.

"It strengthens the party, because it is able to get onto the issue that we need to be on," Fox told Reuters, referring to a referendum on EU membership, adding that Cameron was stronger because "the party's all pulling in the same direction".

Anti-EU Conservative lawmaker Bill Cash told Reuters Cameron could become a "national hero" if he focused more of his campaign for the 2015 national election on an EU referendum.

However, the three eurosceptic Conservative Party leaders who followed Major failed to get into power, and Cameron's capitulation over the new EU referendum bill has given the impression he is not in control of his party.

"David Cameron's weakness has turned a European issue into a leadership issue," Labour foreign affairs spokesman Douglas Alexander said.

Cameron's offer of draft legislation marked a climbdown from his promise in January to renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership and then hold a referendum by the end of 2017.

But some lawmakers had called for further concessions and media reports said Cameron's leadership could be challenged.

Cameron's potential rivals include London Mayor Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Up to 100 eurosceptic Conservative members of parliament are still expected to criticise the government's legislative plans this week because they did not include a bill promising a vote on EU membership.

CONSERVATIVES RATTLED

Since coming to power in a coalition government three years ago, the Conservatives have been rattled by the popularity of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which campaigns for Britain's withdrawal from the EU and tighter immigration laws.

A Guardian/ICM poll showed that UKIP's support had surged to a record high of 18 percent, while support for Britain's traditional parties had fallen by 4 percentage points each.

UKIP took a quarter of the vote in local elections this month. Unless Cameron can convince his party he can win the next election he is likely to face more challenges to his leadership.

"With the story changing every day, it's very reminiscent of the old John Major days where, really, the government appears to be being blown around by events," said UKIP leader Nigel Farage.

The Guardian poll put Labour on 34 percent, the Conservatives on 28 percent and the Liberal Democrats on 11 percent.

UKIP's poll rating has climbed steadily since Cameron's pledge in January to renegotiate the terms of Britain's EU membership and hold a referendum by the end of 2017.

Cameron's bid to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership has concerned the United States, which has warned London that it would lose influence in the world if it did leave the world's biggest economic bloc.

Obama told Cameron in Washington on Monday that EU membership was an expression of British influence, but the president delighted Cameron's advisers by appearing to endorse his attempt to fix the relationship.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Abbas, William James, Costas Pitas and William Schomberg; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cameron-faces-leadership-questions-over-europe-145251634.html

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