Prime Minister David Cameron’s trip to Brussels last week has exposed divisions in his party over Britain’s relationship with the EU, with one senior legislator saying on Sunday he wanted to quit the
Prime Minister David Cameron’s trip to Brussels last week has exposed divisions in his party over Britain’s relationship with the EU, with one senior legislator saying on Sunday he wanted to quit the bloc and another hinting at a top-level rebellion.
The comments came after Mr Cameron met fellow European leaders on Thursday to discuss his demands for changes to Britain’s ties with Brussels.
He won political agreement to find a solution before Britain holds a referendum on whether to remain in the EU by the end of 2017, but is likely to have to accept a compromise on plans to curb migration.
That outcome met with a sceptical reaction from some of Mr Cameron’s Conservatives on Sunday, underlining the challenge he faces to maintain his authority over a party deeply divided on Europe ahead of the referendum.
Liam Fox, who served as a defence secretary under Mr Cameron, declared his allegiance to the campaign to leave the EU, saying it was time to “end the pretence” that Europe would change to accommodate Britain.
“The fact that a British Prime Minister has been in effect forced to take the political begging bowl around European capitals in order to make the laws he believes are necessary for Britain is the best possible demonstration of the problem,” Mr Fox wrote in an article for the Sunday Times newspaper.
Europe has divided the Conservative Party for three decades and played a major part in the downfall of Mr Cameron’s two Conservative predecessors, Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
Failure to manage the divisions within his own party could weaken Mr Cameron’s ability to persuade Britons to stay in the bloc if, as expected, he comes out in favour of staying within are formed EU once negotiations are complete.
Steve Baker, the legislator behind the Eurosceptic movement Conservatives for Britain, said he thought more than half the party was “strongly leaning to leave” — including several members of Mr Cameron’s Cabinet.
