Jeremy Hunt told the BBC's Jeremy Vine the Tories were united over Europe



The Conservative Party is "united" and David Cameron is showing leadership on Britain's relationship with Europe, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

Tory grandee Lord Howe said the PM was "running scared" of Tory Eurosceptics and losing control of the party by planning to change the relationship.

But Mr Hunt said Tories were united on the key issue - the need for change to ensure the UK remained competitive.

The PM has pledged an in-out referendum by 2017 if he wins the next election.

But Mr Cameron says he wants first to try to renegotiate aspects of Britain's relationship with the EU - a policy outlined in a speech in January.

'Give people a say'

Mr Hunt's intervention comes amid media reports of splits within the Conservatives, and anger among party activists at reported comments by a member of Mr Cameron's inner circle that Tory grassroots Eurosceptics were "mad, swivel-eyed loons".

The health secretary told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show that he did not believe anyone close to Mr Cameron made those comments and they did not reflect the views of the prime minister.

He added: "If you look at the substance of the issue, the Conservative Party is absolutely united.

"We look at the European Union and we worry about Britain's ability to compete in the global race... the Conservative Party says if we are going to be successful in that global race we need to renegotiate our relationship with Europe and give the British people a say."

Mr Cameron was "showing leadership" and not sweeping serious issues under the carpet: "He and I would like to have a relationship with Europe where we can stay in the European Union and be confident we can be successful in the global race," Mr Hunt said.

The Eurosceptic UK Independence Party's recent local election successes in England have increased pressure on Mr Cameron to do more now to commit to a referendum.

More than 100 Tory backbenchers voted last week to "regret" the fact that the government did not mention the referendum in the Queen's Speech, which sets out plans for the next parliamentary session.

Mistakes

The Conservatives last week published a draft parliamentary bill to legislate for a referendum to be held by the end of 2017. It is being taken forward by a Tory backbencher as the Liberal Democrats will not allow it to be introduced as a government bill.

Lord Howe, who resigned from Margaret Thatcher's government over her policy towards Europe, told the Observer newspaper Mr Cameron had "opened a Pandora's box politically and seems to be losing control of his party in the process", over his plan to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the European Union.



John Redwood MP: Europe relationship 'wrong for Britain'

"The ratchet-effect of Euroscepticism has now gone so far that the Conservative leadership is in effect running scared of its own backbenchers, let alone UKIP, having allowed deep anti-Europeanism to infect the very soul of the party," wrote Lord Howe, a former foreign secretary, chancellor and deputy prime minister.

"The Conservative Party's long, nervous breakdown over Europe continues and what is essentially a Tory problem is now, once again, becoming a national problem.
"Serious mistakes have been made, but the situation is not irretrievable."

A "mixture of clear thinking, strong leadership and an overriding concern for the national interest, not party management or advantage" was needed, he said.

However, Conservative MP John Redwood told the BBC Eurosceptics wanted the "new relationship" with Europe that the prime minister had started to set out and were happy with his policy of "negotiate and decide" and they simply wanted him to "get on with that negotiation".

He said only a "handful of people in the Conservative movement" thought the UK's current relationship with Europe worked, while the rest of the party was "united behind the prime minister".

Meanwhile, No 10 has said it was "categorically untrue that anyone in Downing Street made the comments about the Conservative Party associations and activists reported in the Times and the Telegraph" that Tory activists were "swivel-eyed loons".

Party co-chairman Lord Feldman said he was taking legal advice over "untrue" web rumours he had made "derogatory comments", saying in a statement: "I would like to make it quite clear that I did not, nor have ever described our associations in this way or in any similar manner."

BBC News