Cameron accused over Europe policy
The Tories have been facing a major backlash from European leaders as David Cameron was accused by a leading French minister of "castrating" Britain's influence in Brussels.
The Conservative leader on Wednesday promised to try to wrest back powers from the European Union after ditching his pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. He also vowed to change the law so that no further powers could be lost to the EU without a UK referendum.
But his positioning drew charges he was pandering to the strongly eurosceptic wing of his party and provoked criticism from a member of France's centre-right government.
Pierre Lellouche, the French minister for Europe, told The Guardian that Mr Cameron's plans would marginalise Britain in continental affairs.
"It's pathetic. It's just very sad to see Britain, so important in Europe, just cutting itself out from the rest and disappearing from the radar map," he said.
Mr Lellouche said the Tories had a "bizarre autism" on the EU and likened their latest moves to their withdrawal from the main centre-right grouping in the European Parliament.
"They are doing what they have done in the European Parliament," he said. "They have essentially castrated your UK influence in the European Parliament."
He also insisted there was no chance of European leaders helping the Tories re-negotiate powers at this stage.
Shadow foreign secretary William Hague insisted on Thursday night that Mr Lellouche's comments did not represent the true reception of the Tories' plans in Europe.
"That is not how we are seen across Europe," he told BBC2's Newsnight, adding that his party had established good relations with French president Nicolas Sarkozy's party. "I don't think you will find that's representative of the reaction in Paris or other European capitals."
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