An exasperated Nick Clegg gave vent to months of frustration with the Tories on Thursday when he let rip at David Cameron for endangering Britain's membership of the EU by demanding a unilateral repatriation of powers from Brussels.
In a sign of how the EU could destabilise the coalition, the deputy prime minister warned that Cameron was risking "an outright crisis" which could force Britain out of the EU. Hours later, Cameron hit back when he said he was confident he could repatriate powers.
Clegg turned on the Tories in a speech at Chatham House in London after his patience finally snapped earlier this month when the education secretary, Michael Gove, said Britain should "walk out" if EU leaders refuse to sanction the repatriation of powers.
"A grand, unilateral repatriation of powers might sound appealing," the deputy prime minister said. "But in reality it is a false promise wrapped in a union jack." » | Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent | Thursday, November 01, 2012
