Tory MEPs split over links to federalist voting bloc

The Tory civil war over Europe appeared to reignite yesterday when the party's MEPs started further infighting and a pro-euro MP was threatened with deselection.

The Independent has learnt that Theresa Villiers, the Eurosceptic Conservative deputy leader in the European Parliament, has decided to resign from her post after a year in the job.

Her decision was seized on as a victory by pro-European MEPs who are fighting plans by the Tory leader, Iain Duncan Smith, to break away from federalist centre-right parties in Strasbourg.

But the news came as Robert Walter, the pro-euro MP for Dorset North, faced a motion of no confidence from constituency activists. The meeting last night had no power to remove him as a candidate but would be embarrassing if passed.

The party in Strasbourg has been dogged for months by a campaign by Eurosceptics to end the loose affiliation they have with the European Democrats/European People's Party (EPP), the biggest voting bloc in the parliament.

Tory sources claim that Ms Villiers was asked by Conservative Central Office to canvass opinion informally among MEPs on their support for a clearer split from the EPP. When only six out of the 36 MEPs offered their backing, the pro-Europeans said the idea should be ditched. It is not known if Jonathan Evans, the leader of the MEPs, knew about Ms Villiers' actions.

A spokesman for the Conservatives in the European Parliament confirmed yesterday that Ms Villiers would not be seeking re-election but denied her departure was linked to the EPP dispute.

Ms Villiers, who sits on the party's board, is seen by many as a rising star and may now be concentrating on winning selection for a seat in Westminster. As a London MEP, some of her allies wanted her to stand for Mayor in 2004.

The events in Strasbourg are the latest in a long-running dispute over the EPP, with Eurosceptics determined to use Mr Duncan Smith's backing to defy the majority of their colleagues.

Despite the pro-European objections, it appears that Mr Duncan Smith is still determined that his party's manifesto for the 2004 European elections should contain a pledge to have greater autonomy from sister parties.

The Tories have always had the right to have their own whip and vote independently of the EPP. But the leader believes the admission of 10 new Eastern European states to the EU will provide an opportunity to carve out a new, less federalist grouping.

The leader of the EPP, which represents 233 of the 622 MEPs in the parliament, has written to the Tory leader recently telling him that he cannot have complete control over staff appointments, budget and the right to admit new member countries.

Tory members have in recent weeks selected hardline Eurosceptics as candidates for the 2004 elections to the European Parliament.

In the six regions that have chosen their candidates, Eurosceptics have mostly come top and will be placed at the head of the party's list in the elections, which follow proportional representation. Pro-European Conservatives are disappointed that their candidates have slipped down the list and stand little chance of retaining their seats.