Eurosceptic Tories today warned they would not be bought off by "tokenistic" plans to relax EU employment laws in return for Britain backing treaty change for the eurozone.
Under proposals discussed by Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, the UK could be spared from the Working Time Directive in exchange for allowing limited revisions to the Lisbon Treaty imposing tough new fiscal rules on members of the single currency.
The tentative deal would ensure British workers are not subject to the WTD's strict 48-hour week and spare Europe from months or years of wrangling over an entirely new treaty. But Eurosceptic Tories demanded a "comprehensive plan" to grab powers back from Brussels or a referendum on the "fundamental changes" being proposed for the EU.
Clacton MP Douglas Carswell condemned it as a "tokenistic gesture" and called for greater control over employment laws, financial services legislation and fisheries. He said: "The historic opportunity that we have now - we could have to wait for years for something like this to come up again."
Bill Cash, chair of the European Scrutiny committee, added: "There is an need to restructure the treaties to give democracy back to the British people and that requires a referendum because it is fundamental change."
