DAVID CAMERON is facing a cabinet revolt over the European Union amid claims that he has ditched the vast majority of his demands in his renegotiation with Brussels.
The prime minister was also accused last night of planning to purge his critics on Europe amid fresh claims that Downing Street is “panicking” about the referendum.
Ministers say they believe Cameron is plotting a reshuffle to sack his most outspoken Eurosceptics ahead of the referendum to prevent a glut of resignations.
Tory whips have also warned that he is “minded” to punish three MPs who opposed him on plans for a purdah period in the EU referendum campaign by removing them from the parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe.
Friends of Christopher Chope, Sir Edward Leigh and Cheryl Gillan branded the move “retribution for the rebellion” and warned that there “will be hell to pay in terms of party unity”.
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With anger rising in ministerial ranks about how Cameron and George Osborne, the chancellor, have handled the renegotiation, the Vote Leave campaign today releases a dossier showing Cameron has ditched 14 of the 24 pledges that he had previously said he wanted to renegotiate. These include his calls to limit the powers of the European Court of Justice, to repatriate social and employment policy, to amend the working time directive, reform the common agricultural policy and slash both EU spending and Britain’s contributions to the EU.
Of the 10 issues Cameron has mentioned that are still on the table, seven are only possible with a treaty change which EU officials say is impossible before the referendum. That leaves three — blocking further EU political integration, cutting EU red tape and securing more free trade deals — that are easily obtainable.
Cameron was forced by his fellow EU leaders to say he will publish his formal list of demands in November. But he is pursuing reform in only three areas with migrant benefits, fresh powers for national parliaments to block EU laws and protections for countries outside the euro at the top of the list.
Ministers and MPs have been demanding that they be free to campaign to leave the EU once the deal is done. But Eurosceptics are growing concerned that aides are pressing Cameron to sack his critics instead.
That could affect Iain Duncan Smith, John Whittingdale, Chris Grayling and Theresa Villiers — the four who are seen as most implacably opposed to EU membership.
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One senior Conservative said: “There are rumours he plans an early reshuffle to purge the sceptics.”
Even loyal ministers are said to share Boris Johnson’s concerns that the renegotiation does not go far enough and have had private conversations in the past fortnight about how they have been frozen out by the leadership.
An influential Eurosceptic revealed: “Cabinet ministers are saying No 10 has gone into a panic. They think the ‘in’ campaign is rubbish. They’re getting increasing push-back in the cabinet about the renegotiation plan. No one thinks this is going well.
“Cabinet members have been talking to each other and saying: I’m not happy about this, it’s all a disaster and there’s no discussion around the cabinet table. It’s all being handled inside No 10 and by George [Osborne]. Nobody thinks No 10 has a convincing story on the renegotiation.”
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The “in” campaign, Britain Stronger in Europe, will launch a fresh offensive this week to persuade voters. Dame Helen Alexander, former president of the CBI, will use a speech on Tuesday saying it “makes little business sense” to leave.
Alan Johnson, the former Labour minister, is set to deliver a key speech to the Chatham House think tank to present the focus of the Labour “in” campaign.
Owen Paterson, the former cabinet minister, criticised the watering down of demands. “It now looks like David Cameron won’t get nine out of the 10 things that he promised the British people,” he said.
Downing Street said claims of a reshuffle or a purge of the Council of Europe were “wrong”. A spokesman said: “We are negotiating Britain’s relationship with Europe so we stay in a reformed EU. But as the prime minister has said, we rule nothing out.”
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Dominic Lawson, page 20. Letters, page 24. City grandees throw weight behind Brexit, Business