Labour makes most of Cameron’s EPP woes
Labour has launched a countdown clock to mark how long David Cameron has to make a decision on withdrawing the Conservatives from the European Peoples’ party (EPP).
The publicity stunt, on the party’s website, is an attempt to exploit growing divisions over the promise to cut ties between Tory MEPs and the European parliament’s main centre-right group.
Mr Cameron has promised that an announcement on his plans for EPP membership would be made by the end of this month, but the past few weeks have seen growing tensions within the Conservatives about the issue.
And last night Europe minister Geoff Hoon said the pledge, the only firm promise the Witney MP made in his campaign for the Tory leadership last December, had turned into his Achilles heel.
His comments come as a series of emails leaked to The Sunday Times suggest some Conservative MPs blame shadow foreign secretary William Hague for trying to scupper the pledge by briefing the press that it cannot be done.
Emails written to Mr Cameron by his parliamentary private secretary, Desmond Swayne MP, note that some stories had “clearly been fed on something (one or two colleagues believe that the briefing is coming from WH’s office and that he has wobbled)”.
However, others from earlier this year note real concerns from both the right-wingers and the moderates in the party about membership of the EPP, which Mr Cameron promised to end within months of becoming leader last December.
One email in February notes many Tory MEPs feel “furious” about the plans to withdraw from the EPP, with one telling Mr Swayne that he had “never seen the lads so angry”. They believe withdrawal will leave them isolated in Europe, or allied to far-right groups.
But among the Cornerstone group of right-wing MPs there was also concern that a failure to fulfil the promise could see many Conservative activists turn to the UK Independence party (Ukip), although Mr Swayne notes: “I think this is all a bit far fetched.”
A couple of months later, the MP highlights “depression and even dismay” about efforts to apparently bring in elements of the European constitution by the back door.
“The feeling of frustration and impotence is compounded by our perceived silence on things European. It is also a prime source of the grumbles in our mailbags and some influential newspaper columns,” he writes to Mr Cameron.
Speaking last night, Mr Hoon warned that the Tory leader was in danger of losing both his pro-European and anti-European MEPs if he did not resolve the issue.
“The Tories are as divided as ever over Europe,” he declared.
