Britain on slippery slope towards EU referendum

"Cameron held the line quite well in the first 18 months of government. But now he is out of his depth," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform. "David Cameron does not want a referendum. None of them do. But there is now a real risk that we get a referendum. If we do, there is a significant risk that the electorate will vote to leave the EU". "The Liberals have to take a decision," said Tilford. That could well result in them "bringing down the government" before the end of its present term in 2015. "If they continue to support Conservative positions over the next two years, the Liberals will never be forgiven," said Tilford.