THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has reprimanded Baroness Ashton at a European Union summit, saying she was too soft on "state-sponsored violence" against Egyptian protesters.
The dressing down in front of a room filled with Europe's leaders was the Prime Minister's first open criticism of Lady Ashton since the Labour peer became EU foreign minister just over a year ago.
Mr Cameron was forced to make a "number of interventions" to ensure that the EU sent a tough message to Egypt because a summit declaration, drafted by Lady Ashton, was too weak.
A diplomat close to the talks said: "Cameron said Ashton's declaration did not go far enough and that there needed to be clear and strong language to show Egypt there would be consequences unless the repression stopped."
Britain's prime minister pushed for tougher EU action at a summit lunch, including a hint that sanctions would be used as Western patience runs out with President Hosni Mubarak's attempts to cling to power in Egypt.
Mr Cameron demanded that the EU threw its weight behind an American plan for Mr Mubarak to resign immediately and hand power to a military-backed interim government before speedy elections. >>> Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, February 04, 2011
