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David Cameron to travel to EU crisis summit Pressure on David Cameron ahead of EU crisis summit
(about 4 hours later)
  
Prime Minister David Cameron is to travel to Brussels for a major EU summit on the eurozone debt crisis. David Cameron is to attend a summit on the eurozone debt crisis, amid pressure from his MPs to do more to reshape the UK's relationship with the EU.
Germany and France want a new EU treaty with measures to stop a repeat of the problems threatening the euro's future. Germany and France want a new EU treaty and the PM says he will block one that does not protect UK interests.
Mr Cameron is under pressure from many Tory MPs to resist moves to strengthen the power of Brussels over EU members. But some senior Tories say the creation of a dominant eurozone bloc should be put to a UK referendum.
Tory ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has backed a tough approach - but urged Mr Cameron to stick to issues relevant to the crisis. Former Tory leader Lord Howard said he wanted a "rebalancing" of the relationship, but now was not the time.
In a joint letter on Wednesday, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the 17 eurozone countries to have common corporation and financial transaction taxes. The peer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I hope that at some point we can return to that agenda. But what we have to do is to make sure that within the present framework, British interests are safeguarded."
Meanwhile at Prime Minister's Question Time, Mr Cameron said he would fight for the UK national interest in any EU Treaty talks, following questions from Conservative MPs. 'Huge implications'
He said: "The more eurozone countries ask for, the more we will ask for in return," including safeguards about the financial sector. He added: "What is pressing at the moment is the need to help the eurozone overcome its crisis, because the world economy is in a very fragile state and a disorderly break-up of the eurozone could bring about an economic catastrophe on a global scale."
Earlier, Downing Street said any treaty signed by the UK "will need to go through Parliament". It has said that a referendum will not be necessary because the proposed changes would not involve a big shift in power from London to Brussels. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the prime minister would be glad to get the backing of a prominent Conservative eurosceptic for his stance.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg backed up Mr Cameron, saying the position on holding a referendum was clear. But the former Conservative leadership candidate David Davis - a Europe minister in John Major's government - told the same programme Mr Cameron should not accept any moves by the EU's 17 eurozone states to form their own union.
"Of course there should be a referendum if we as a country were to surrender new powers to the European Union," he said. He said Mr Cameron should reject any moves to strike a deal within the eurozone, without going through all 27 EU states. He said fiscal union within the eurozone had "huge implications" for Britain.
"But there's no question of us doing that now because the new powers that will be surrended by anyone will be within the eurozone and of course we are not a members of the eurozone so the question simply does not arise". "The raw politics of this is, if there is a significant change in the balance of power in Europe, it has big implications for a our future - that's the point at which you have to have a referendum."
Tough approach 'Bulldog spirit'
But Labour leader Ed Miliband said at Question Time that the UK had been "left on the sidelines". He said the PM should "grasp the opportunity" to "rewrite the future of Europe" - including repatriating some powers.
He said Mr Cameron had promised to bring powers back to the UK in order "to quell a rebellion" by his backbenchers, but now could not name a single area where this might happen. Two other senior Conservatives - Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Patterson and Mayor of London Boris Johnson - also suggested there might have to be a referendum, if a new eurozone bloc was created, or the UK was asked to sign up to a new EU treaty involving all 27 member states.
"Six weeks ago he was promising his backbenchers a handbagging for Europe now he is just reduced to hand-wringing. That is the reality for this prime minister," he said. On Thursday Conservative backbencher Bernard Jenkin told the BBC: "I don't underestimate the prime minister and I wish him luck in Brussels today but he could have a win-win-win situation if he said 'I'm sorry, this is such a big change we have got to have a referendum'.
Meanwhile, his brother, former foreign secretary David Miliband said Mr Cameron needed to tackle the Euro rebels in his party. "He'd have the Conservatives behind him, the British people want a referendum, the British people want a different relationship with Europe, and he would have a much stronger hand to negotiate in the national interest."
Downing Street says any treaty signed by the UK "will need to go through Parliament" but the government says a UK referendum will not be necessary, because the proposed changes would not involve a big shift in power from London to Brussels.
'Safeguards'
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called for the 17 eurozone countries to have common corporation and financial transaction taxes.
Mr Cameron faced a series of questions about Europe from his own backbenchers at prime minister's questions, with one urging him to show "bulldog spirit" in the talks.
He told MPs he would fight for the UK national interest and, particularly in the event of a treaty change involving all EU members, to "get a price" for UK support.
He said he would ensure "safeguards" for Britain's financial services industry and "greater power and control in terms of regulation here in this House of Commons".
"The more that countries in the eurozone ask for, the more we will ask for in return."
In the event of a treaty involving only the 17 eurozone countries, while the UK would still have "some leverage" he said: "We should recognise exactly what our leverage is and make the most of it."
But Labour leader Ed Miliband said that the UK had been "left on the sidelines" and, having promised his backbenchers a Lady Thatcher-style "handbagging" in Europe, was now reduced to "hand wringing".
Meanwhile, his brother, Labour former foreign secretary David Miliband said Mr Cameron needed to tackle eurosceptics in his party.
Writing in the Daily Mirror he claimed the growing number "determined to wrench Britain out of the EU" were "the real threat to Britain's national interest".Writing in the Daily Mirror he claimed the growing number "determined to wrench Britain out of the EU" were "the real threat to Britain's national interest".
London Mayor Boris Johnson said the UK should oppose any change which created a "very dominant economic government" across Europe. Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson said the UK should oppose any change which created a "very dominant economic government" across Europe.
"If Britain was asked to sign up to such a thing within the 27 (all the members of the EU), it would be right to veto it and if we felt unable to veto it, I certainly think that it should be put to a referendum," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One. "If Britain was asked to sign up to such a thing within the 27 (all the members of the EU), it would be right to veto it and if we felt unable to veto it, I certainly think that it should be put to a referendum," he said.
However, he said the government could not "reasonably" have a referendum if the new arrangements were confined to the 17 eurozone countries only.However, he said the government could not "reasonably" have a referendum if the new arrangements were confined to the 17 eurozone countries only.
Sir Malcolm said Mr Cameron needed to focus on the matter in hand: "The tough approach required from David Cameron is perfectly reasonable if he concentrates on issues relevant to this crisis, such as the potential threat to the City of London. Tory ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said a "tough approach" by the PM was perfectly reasonable "if he concentrates on issues relevant to this crisis, such as the potential threat to the City of London".
"But if we were to have debates and discussions on Friday about whether we should repatriate the Common Fisheries Policy or the Working Time Directive or matters of that kind, the rest of the world would be aghast.""But if we were to have debates and discussions on Friday about whether we should repatriate the Common Fisheries Policy or the Working Time Directive or matters of that kind, the rest of the world would be aghast."