Early on in his leadership, David Cameron was clear that he wanted the Tories to stop ‘banging on about Europe.’ But Europe—or more specifically, the EU referendum—is now dominating Cameron’s time so much that he is neglecting domestic policy. I report in my Sun column today that one of those intimately involved in the disability benefits cuts debacle and IDS’ resignation told me that ‘Cameron is completely obsessed by Europe, he has taken his eye off the ball’.
Now, as David Cameron takes a break in Lanzarote, he would be well advised to reflect on whether he wants to carry on letting the EU referendum crowd out other government business. This not only means that progress isn’t being made elsewhere but is also worsening Tory tensions over the issue as there’s no other agenda for the Tories to unite around.
Cameron has an interesting, and important, domestic agenda. He told Tory MPs on Wednesday night that he wants an ‘assault on the barriers to opportunity. But if he waits until after the referendum to put it front and centre, he might find he’s out of political capital.
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