Now UK is facing double problem – internal and external and both of them are very challenging. EU will unite in the coming days with new strategies:
Cabinet tensions over David Cameron’s decision to veto a European Union treaty have burst into the open as it emerged that Nick Clegg was privately furious with the Prime Minister.
Despite publicly backing Mr Cameron, the Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister feels his actions were not in Britain’s best interests and leaves the country isolated in Europe.
A source close to europhile Mr Clegg told The Independent on Sunday that the outcome of Thursday night’s negotiations at the European Council in Brussels had been “a spectacular failure to deliver in the country’s interest”.
“Nick certainly doesn’t think this is a good deal for Britain, for British jobs or British growth,” the source said.
“It leaves us isolated in Europe and that is not in our national interest. Nick’s fear is that we become the lonely man of Europe.”
The source said Mr Clegg “couldn’t believe it” when, on Friday morning, he was informed of the course of events and how Mr Cameron had sought to negotiate with fellow EU leaders.
The future of the coalition is already under scrutiny with Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg facing conflicting demands from their respective backbenchers in the wake of the dramatic veto.
Jubilant eurosceptic Tories have stepped up calls for a full renegotiation of Britain’s position in the EU, only for Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes to insist the issue was “not on the table” and that Conservatives should “calm down”.