Cameron accused of changing EU court stance to pacify Lib Dems

PRIME Minister David Cameron was today accused of attempting to “appease” Nick Clegg after abandoning his opposition to the European Court enforcing a new fiscal pact for the eurozone.

Mr Cameron is facing a backlash from Tory eurosceptics after he said Britain would only make a challenge if its interests were “threatened”.

The prime minister has previously insisted that European Union institutions could not be used for a new pact because Britain would not be a signatory.

He said: “We don’t want to hold up the eurozone doing what is necessary to solve the crisis as long as it doesn’t damage our national interests, so it’s good that the new treaty states clearly that it cannot encroach upon the competences of the Union and that they must not take measures that undermine the EU single market.

“We will be watching like a hawk and if there is any sign that they are going to encroach on the single market we will take the appropriate action, if I may put it that way.”

The matter is likely to be discussed at the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers today. Mr Cameron will report back to the Commons today on the latest summit.

Leader of Britain’s Tory MEPs Martin Callanan said government policy on the fiscal compact had changed, partly because of a need to mollify Nick Clegg, the pro-Europe deputy prime minister.

Mr Callanan said: “I blame a combination of appeasing Nick Clegg, who is desperate to sign anything the EU puts in front of him, and the practical reality that this pact is actually quite hard to prevent: the government would have to ask the European Court of Justice to rule against itself having a role.”