Tories 'want to work with EU leaders'

The Conservatives want to co-operate with Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy on "lots of areas" despite disagreements over the need for a referendum on the EU treaty, a frontbench spokesman has said.

Shadow Europe minister Mark Francois told ePolitix.com centre-right parties across Europe should be working together on issues like economic competitiveness.

David Cameron has appeared isolated in Europe following Conservative moves to withdraw from the European Parliament's EPP centre-right grouping from 2009.

The Tories have historically close links to Germany's Christian Democrats and the UMP party of France - led by Merkel and Sarkozy respectively - but frosty relations over the EPP have led to suggestions that Cameron is being shunned by Europe's most powerful right-wing leaders.

Francois said that, despite differences over the need for a referendum on the new EU treaty, he hoped they could still co-operate on the revival of the stalled Lisbon agenda for economic reform.

"Clearly that has not got very far," he said.

"That's something that centre-right parties across Europe should be working towards.

"So we don't agree with those two leaders about the need for a referendum - we believe we need one and they don't - but there are lots of other areas where we should be able to co-operate with them as centre-right parties."

Francois added that "we would want to work with other European partners to try and bring the Lisbon agenda back to life and to encourage a more flexible and dynamic economy in Europe, and that should be something where we can work with our European partners from across the EU because it's in everybody's interest in the EU that we maintain a competitive global economy".

He also said he would like to see the UK's European partners committing forces to combat in the south of Afghanistan, where British forces are involved in the bulk of the fighting.

"If you're going to have partners, that word should mean something, and partners are supposed to support each other in difficult times," he said.

And speaking ahead of the prime minister's meeting with Chancellor Merkel on Wednesday, Francois said he would like Gordon Brown to tell her "that public opinion is running so high on the issue of a referendum that he now feels he has to honour his - and Labour's - manifesto pledge and grant a referendum on the EU constitution".

Francois stood against Ken Livingstone, now London mayor, in the 1997 Westminster general election.

Asked what advice he would give to likely Tory candidate Boris Johnson, he said: "Remember there are two Kens. There's one very jolly cheeky chappy who will slap you on the back and be great company, and Ken can be very convivial.

"Then there's the other Ken Livingston that used to go and have dinner with Gerry Adams of his own volition.

"You've got to remember there are two Kens you're up against, not just one, and in a sense you have to beat them both."