Britain: "Bye - Bye" : Germany and France 'will block David Cameron's plan for a new EU treaty' - by Toby Helm,

David Cameron's "grand plan" to defuse the Tory civil war over Europe by winning back powers from the EU has been thrown into doubt after Germany said it would prefer to solve the eurozone's problems without a new European treaty.

In a blow to the prime minister, who has pledged to renegotiate UK membership before calling an in/out referendum in 2017, both Germany and France are now coming out against opening up the EU rulebook again in the timescale envisaged by Cameron.

In his keynote speech on Europe in January, Cameron said he believed the "best way" to secure the "changes needed for the long-term future of the euro and to entrench the diverse, competitive, democratically accountable Europe that we seek" was through a new treaty. If such a process were to be undertaken, all member states would be able to table their demands for changes to the way the EU operates.

The UK would be able to exert strong leverage by wielding the threat of a veto unless it won the right to a looser relationship in areas such as social and justice policy. But since hearing Cameron's pitch, Germany and France have come out firmly against what they believe would be an interminable and hugely complex negotiation among the 27 member states, which they fear could involve members spending much of their time debating UK concerns.

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