Be sure that your policies will find you out

It took slightly longer than expected but the twin pre-election issues considered most likely by pundits to bedevil the Tories’ legislative programme – and thereby increase tensions within the ConDem coalition – both managed to surface this weekend.

According to broadsheets such as the Sunday Telegraph, Cameron & Clegg face double trouble over their feeble efforts in delivering on the staple items in any Conservative candidate’s selection speech; namely Europe & deregulation.

The paper says the Prime Minister will attempt to reassert his eurosceptic credentials by launching a bill which promises MPs and the public a say on any proposed transfer of sovereignty to the European Union. However, this is unlikely to stem growing discontent among Tory MPs that Cameron is refusing to even explain why he reneged on a pledge to hold a referendum on the controversial Lisbon Treaty.

Several are said to be furious over what they call a “betrayal” that has already seen key powers transferred to EU control and there are reports that “more than two dozen” have signed a protest motion. Up to 50 could vote against the Government during a key debate on Wednesday which is supposed to approve treaty amendments giving EU officials the ability to oversee the budgets of member states.

Deputy PM Clegg faces a similar wave of anger about his much vaunted Freedom Bill which has now had many deregulation actions stripped out of the main legislative clauses. Tory MPs are outraged that a key measures aimed at freeing up business have been dumped to make the bill “simpler”.

Although the move comes as a personal embarrassment for Clegg, who has also agreed to give up responsibility for steering legislation through the Commons (it has now been given to Teresa May) the latter step comes as something of a relief to Lib Dems who felt sections the bill were as much about freedom as “democracy” was an intrinsic element of the former east-German Democratic Republic.

This subdued jubilation is not lost on right-wing tories and even their less rabid colleagues who feel distinctly let down by Lib Dem dubiety over tuition fees, Europe and anti-terror measures. All of which is grist to the mills of John Redwood who Downing Street scouts say is lurking in the undergrowth ready to launch a “stiffening” initiative.

Cameron will not be the first Conservative leader ever to have been ambushed by his party over Europe. He will however be the first to have seen an assault coming and been unable to deflect it because of coalition politics. Let’s hope his personal photographer is on hand to record the event.