Cameron has ‘achieved nothing’ for UK in Europe

Prime Minister David Cameron was accused of being “isolated” and “without influence” in Brussels after 25 of the 27 European Union member states pressed ahead with a treaty on closer economic ties.

Labour leader Ed Miliband dismissed Mr Cameron’s claims to have secured progress on jobs and growth at last week’s European Council meeting, saying the Prime Minister had “achieved nothing” for the UK.

Mr Cameron, whose veto last December prevented the 25-member agreement from being a full EU treaty, attacked the Labour leader for refusing to say whether he would have signed up to the proposals.

The Prime Minister, updating MPs on the outcome of the summit, said: “This was an unprecedented alliance involving countries from all across Europe, representing over half the EU population and a quarter of a billion people.”

He added: “What was encouraging at this council was that an EU growth agenda – based around free trade, deregulation and completing the single market – received stronger and broader political support from heads of state and government than ever before.”

He defended his decision to not to sign the “intergovernment agreement on the fiscal compact”.

He said: “Britain is not signing this agreement. Britain is not in the euro, Britain is not going to join the euro, so it is right that we are not involved.

“But it is important that we continue to ensure that vital issues such as the single market are discussed by all 27 members. That’s exactly what happened.”

Mr Miliband said the Prime Minister’s “veto was not a veto” as “the treaty has gone ahead” and dismissed Mr Cameron’s claims of progress on completing the single market.