Cameron reels as French slam ‘pathetic’ EU policy
Britain will be isolated if Tories continue like this, warns French minister
With six months to go before he likely becomes the British prime minister, David Cameron's relations with our closest neighbour, France, have not got off to a good start. Pierre Lellouche, President Nicolas Sarkozy's Europe minister, has described the Tory leader's proposal to reclaim EU powers as "pathetic" and says the policy will "castrate' Britain's position in Europe, leaving us isolated.
In an interview with the Guardian, Lellouche said: "It's just very sad to see Britain, so important in Europe, just cutting itself out from the rest and disappearing from the radar map."
The Frenchman went on to accuse William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, of a "bizarre autism". And Lellouche made it clear that his comments reflect Nicholas Sarkozy's "sadness and regret" at the Conservatives' attitude to Europe.
The outspoken attack came after Cameron finally outlined a fresh Tory approach to the EU in the wake of the full ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Having made a "cast iron" guarantee back in 2007 that the British people would be granted a referendum to decide on the treaty, Cameron was under pressure to come up with an alternative proposal now that the Czechs have dropped their objections and all 27 EU nations have signed off on the treaty.
As the Mole predicted on Tuesday, Cameron ruled out a "retrospective referendum" on Lisbon but vowed to repatriate a series of powers - mainly concerning social and employment legislation - to Westminster from Brussels.
He also promised to introduce a new Sovereignty Act to protect future European laws from having primacy over the British Parliament. And he pledged that any future Euro-treaty would be subject to a referendum.
Cameron claimed he was not seeking an immediate "bust-up" with the EU - but Lellouche's immediate response suggests a bust-up was inevitable, especially in the light of the Tory decision to quit the centre-right bloc in Europe, of which Sarkozy's UMP party is a lead member.
If the Tories are elected next May/June and carry out their pledge to repatriate powers from Brussels, Lellouche warned the French would seek to reduce Britain's EU budget rebate.
"If we get a government that is ferociously anti-European, that will vote down this kind of legislation, then I think the relationship is going to be very difficult. As we enter the next phase one of the issues we have to discuss mid-term is, of course, finances.
"France is a net contributor to the tune of €5bn a year, of which €1.5bn is the same as [the] British rebate. That should tell you quite a bit huh?" he concluded. 
Filed under: David Cameron, Conservative Party, William Hague, Europe, France, Nicolas Sarkozy, Great Britain
About the author
Jack Bremer is a London-based reporter, attached to The First Post. He has also reported regularly from America and France.
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Comments
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Technically is that "ironic" or what?
Posted by Tony Platt at 10:18am on November 5, 2009
Makes me think Cameron must have hit the right note to get a reaction like this, so soon.
Posted by Ian at 10:21am on November 5, 2009
"Britain will be isolated if Tories continue like this, warns French minister". Yep, just like we were in 1940.
Posted by Fair Play at 10:28am on November 5, 2009
Who gives a fig what this french guy thinks - what about democracy as the will of the people here, in this country? We were promised a referendum by Gordon Brown...... have you forgotten that? Oh, but then the french voted 'non' to Lisbon anyway...... another fact carefully overlooked. Your bias is blatant; I expected more of the first post, but you've becoming a red top partisan rag.
Posted by McQueue at 10:33am on November 5, 2009
And why should we trust the Tories on anything to do with the EU? After Heath telling lies to us to con us into joining the Common Market, sorry, European Community, sorry, European Union, we had Thatcher signing off at Mastricht, and now Cameron back-tracking on the Constitution, sorry, Treaty. From day one we have nothing but lies from our politicians on matters concerning Europe. The only exceptions have been the Lib-dems. While I might disagree strongly with their pro-Europe stance, they have at least been consistent in their message.
Posted by KeithS at 10:36am on November 5, 2009
As the French have always been second best to the English they are now trying to gain support to be the main party in the EU Well Ive got news for them keep their opinion to themselves or else they will have to back down again . Remember the past. How many battles have they lost.
Posted by vera Grey at 10:47am on November 5, 2009
"Cameron reels" Should he worry at the burblings of a second rate French lackey?
Posted by TomNightingale at 11:06am on November 5, 2009
As someone once said, "Don't worry, the French will always be there when they need us."
Posted by TomNightingale at 11:08am on November 5, 2009
Makes me think Cameron must have hit absolutely the wrong note to get a reaction like this, so soon. Standard small-minded chest-thumping from the Tories, pandering to the electorate with short-term PR and no real vision.
Posted by Darren at 11:32am on November 5, 2009
Which one of us really cares what the French think? Great Britain is probably the only country in Europe not to have been under someones jackboot at some time or other in their recent history. They're just a bunch of surrender-monkeys!
Posted by PigzleFly at 12:29pm on November 5, 2009
In fairness to the French, they do know what they are talking about when it comes to cheese.
Posted by Alex Harris at 12:55pm on November 5, 2009
People are sick of the EU. What has it ever done for us apart from bleed us of tens of billions of pounds with nothing in return but the destruction of our fishing and farming industry and a fusillade of abuse from arrogant foreigners who quite rightly put their own country's interest first? Great Britain has had a succession of weak vacillating 'leaders', including Margaret Thatcher who gave away our weights and measures system. The EU is an absolute disaster that caters only for a mad minority of watery eyed liberalist dreamers, whose cola advertisement type image of mutual hand holding and joyous chorus's celebrating our 'togetherness' is a childish crock! An all out war would be less sickening. Let's get out and leave the others to wreck their own countries. Bear in mind that the arch traitor himself Edward Heath was guilty of committing sedition, when he ordered civil servants to write letters to newspapers praising the EU, prior to him selling Great Britain's soul to this treacherous club without so much as a by your leave to the British people. The people's opinions are all that counts and if we want out, then Britain should get out. Now.
Posted by Jerome Peter at 1:26pm on November 5, 2009
An excellent response from the French. It shows that they're worried that we are likely to have a Government that, at long last, will be looking out for British interests, and not been anyones poodle. Expect the Germans to join in the chorus fairly soon!
Posted by Keith Gowthorpe at 2:57pm on November 5, 2009
If the French are reduced to hurling childish epithets at Cameron and Hague then they both must be doing something right. Tell the French Ministers to mind their own business and leave us to mind ours. Alex
Posted by alexsia at 3:50pm on November 5, 2009
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