Cameron under Lisbon pressure after Czech signature

Tuesday, 3 November 2009 4:50 PM

By Ian Dunt and Alex Stevenson

Czech president Vaclav Klaus has finally signed the Lisbon treaty, leaving David Cameron facing no choice but to reveal his European policy.

The Conservative leader is expected to use a press conference tomorrow to explain his position on Europe, the biggest single divisive issue in Britain's main opposition party, after the Czech Republic became the 27th of the European Union's 27 member states to ratify the treaty.

It follows a ruling earlier today by the Czech constitutional court throwing out arguments of 17 senators who had sought to block the treaty by arguing it breached national sovereignty.

The Lisbon treaty will now come into effect as planned from January 1st 2010, leaving Mr Cameron facing volleys of criticism from other UK parties as he prepares a new position.

The Tory leader had previously only committed himself to a referendum if the treaty had not been fully ratified across Europe.

Asked at a press conference about the referendum this morning, Mr Cameron responded: "It looks like this treaty is no longer going to be a treaty, it looks like it is going to become part of European law and that is going to create a new situation."

Today Chris Bryant, minister for Europe, suggested Mr Cameron was getting ready to backtrack on his previous commitments.

"His cast-iron guarantee is already rusting pretty badly, and I think this is a matter of trust, whether you can really trust David Cameron with the British interest," he told the BBC.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats suggested his wavering response to the issue meant he was not "fit for government".

"David Cameron will be terrified of betraying the eurosceptic wing of his party, but he must come clean on where he now stands," Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Edward Davey said.

"He cannot bleat about transparency and then go AWOL as soon as there are tough questions to answer. This dithering and evasion shows he is now the heir to Brown more than the heir to Blair.

"If he can't make his position clear on an issue as crucial as Europe, he is not fit for government."

Observers have suggested the party is secretly pleased the referendum will not take place, with Tory strategists thought to be concerned a referendum could dig up old scars in a party which has been torn apart by the issue of Europe before.

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• conservatives
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• europe
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• foreign policy
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• party politics