More Than 50 Tories Prepare Campaign For EU Exit

Dozens of Conservative MPs have declared themselves ready to campaign for Britain to leave the EU if David Cameron's renegotiation amounts to "anything less than fundamental change".

In a move that will pile pressure onto the Prime Minister , Conservatives for Britain - a new group that already has over 50 politicians signed up - says it is drawing up criteria by which to judge the Government's reforms.

But they warn that failure to achieve radical changes, including ensuring a "sovereign parliament" with control over issues such as immigration, will result in them urging Britons to vote to leave the EU.

That would split the Tory party, which is currently united in goodwill for Mr Cameron following his achievements in the General Election.

The group includes former Cabinet ministers Owen Paterson and John Redwood, but organisers say current ministers could soon sign up with the numbers crossing 100 MPs within days.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, the group's co-chair, Steve Baker, said Mr Cameron had been "spectacularly successful in Europe" - cutting the EU budget and returning powers from Europe.

The MP for Wycombe added that he and colleagues supported the PM’s attempts at a renegotiation, but he warned that it was "not clear" that the British Government was even asking for some of the reforms that Mr Cameron had set out in the past.

"Crucially, we must end the supremacy of EU law over ever more matters of British life.

"That appears to be the majority view among Conservative members of Parliament.

"We wish David Cameron every success but, unless senior EU officials awake to the possibility that one of the EU's largest members is serious about a fundamental change in our relationship, our recommendation to British voters seems likely to be exit."

Mr Baker told Sky News the group did not have a "collective" view on what reforms were necessary, but he personally believed the UK had to be able to reject EU laws, trade with anyone in the world and control its own borders.

Given that Mr Cameron is not asking for restrictions on "freedom of movement" - having accepted that other countries will not agree to that - it seems unlikely that Mr Baker will be satisfied by the renegotiation that is under way.

He argued up to 100 of his colleagues felt the same way, opening up the likelihood that large numbers of Tory MPs could be campaigning against the Prime Minister in a referendum that will be held by the end of 2017.

It comes after UKIP leader Nigel Farage said his party wanted the No campaign to get under way amid claims that Mr Cameron could hold the referendum as early as May 2016.

The Prime Minister will table a number of demands at an EU summit in June and wants to achieve his renegotiation by the end of the year.

But he will have a battle on his hands, with other countries such as Poland hostile to the central call for a welfare clampdown.

Mr Cameron wants to limit the access of EU migrants to in-work benefits for four years after arriving in Britain.

When asked about the group as he arrived for the G7 summit, Mr Cameron said: "What we are having is a renegotiation followed by a referendum.

"It'll be a renegotiation to make sure that Europe works in Britain's national interest and then the referendum, which won't be for individual parties to decide, it will be for the British public to decide in an in/ out referendum."

A Downing street source said earlier: "Our focus is on the renegotiation.

"The Prime Minister has started the process and hopefully people will allow him time to get through that - and then there will be time to judge, and the public will have their say."

On the demand of many MPs - to see limits to EU migration - the source admitted that was not the focus for the PM.

"The principle of free movement around Europe to work - that is something we accept and agree with.

"Hundreds of thousands of British people take advantage of that. Our focus is on welfare."

He argued that in-work benefits were an incentive to workers, so limiting them would reduce the levels of migration.

The source hinted that ministers would be expected to support Mr Cameron's renegotiation and campaign to stay in the EU if it is successful.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that the Government is keeping "all our options open" over Europe.

He said the union was "not fit for the 21st century" but insisted it was "flexible" and could be flexible when it "puts its mind to it".

Mr Hammond also left the door open for the referendum to be staged earlier than the end of 2017, saying it would be staged as soon as the PM had secured reform.

Conservative MP Ken Clarke told Sky News the emergence of the group was "predictable".

He said: "There's a group of people who are going to vote no anyway and they've come out today and put forward mainly demands which they know are totally incompatible with membership."