Jim Murphy MP, Labour’s Europe Minister, responding to William Hague’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference today said:

“Yet again the Conservatives have failed to come clean over their plans for Europe. Today William Hague refused to rule out a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty even if it is ratified by every other EU country. As he well knows the only way to reopen negotiations on a ratified Treaty would be to renegotiate Britain’s entire relationship with the EU, leading to years of instability and damaging British jobs and British business.

“The Conservatives are a lone voice in Europe. They have failed to secure any mainstream support for their European policies. In fact their proposals -from renegotiating the Lisbon Treaty, to withdrawing from the Social Chapter and the European People’s Party - have only attracted criticism from world leaders and business alike.

“It is about time the Tories stopped hiding behind vague promises and came clean about their real plans which would put Britain’s influence and leading position in the EU at risk.”