“Iron-clad” Cameron in EU climb-down

On the day Czech president Vaclàv Klaus has finally put his signature to the Lisbon Treaty, the Daily Telegraph leads with a report that British Conservative party leader David Cameron is due to make an embarrassing climbdown on the controversial text as it limps battered and bruised towards complete ratification. “Mr Cameron,” the London daily reminds its readers, “made an ‘iron-clad’ promise in 2007 that a Conservative government would hold a popular vote on Lisbon.” However, with the document ratified by all 27 member states, Mr Cameron, likely to become Britain’s next PM, is fast engaged in back-pedalling manoeuvres. At a press conference in London today, Mr Cameron hinted that he would now change his policy. “We want to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty but clearly it seems we are getting closer to the point where the treaty is not going to be a treaty but becomes part of European law,” he said. Speculation is now rife in Brussels as to whether Mr Cameron, as part of a U-turn on Europe, will now review his alliances in the European parliament with Polish and Latvian groups linked to the far right.