Eddie Barnes - Cameron's European nightmare

David Cameron must be wondering this afternoon whether the political Gods vote Labour. On the eve of a party conference which has been months in the planning, and which will be watched intensely by voters across the country as they weigh up the look of their next likely government, the toxic issue of Europe suddenly blows up in his face.

With the news emerging that Ireland has backed the Lisbon treaty, it now looks as the matter will be ratified before the General Election. Cameron is committed to holding a pre-ratification referendum, but still won't say what he'll do if it's ratified by the time he gets in. Ken Clarke says this morning it would be a "disaster" if that issue became the dominant theme of the conference. Disaster? Who mentioned disaster?

Cameron has now issued a statement, repeating his position. "If the Treaty is ratified and in force in all Member States, we have repeatedly said we would not let matters rest there. But we have one policy at a time, and we will set out how we would proceed in those circumstances if, and only if, they happen," he says.

The Cameron position pre-conference appears to be along the lines of "I've yet to make up my mind, and that position is final". Not for the first time, Europe is causing the party a nasty headache. Not what Team Cameron wanted.