Lord Brittan

Ahead of the party's autumn conference, senior Conservative Lord Brittan has warned Iain Duncan Smith not to launch a campaign against the European Union.

The former Cabinet minister called on the party leadership to recognise that it could not win the next election on an anti-EU platform.

In an interview with ePolitix.com he said that pro-European Conservatives "won't be silent" on the issue.

After taking over as party leader, Duncan Smith initially downplayed the party's European policy, but has since backed the campaign for a referendum on the proposed EU constitution.

Lord Brittan warned that European policy could re-open splits in the party, depending on "how the issue is played by the leadership".

"Those like myself, who think it is absolutely crucial that Britain should play a leading and positive role in Europe, are in favour of the euro, and do not regard the constitutional proposals as the end of life as we know it on this planet, are not going to be silent," he said.

"If the leadership follows the line which it did in the first part of this parliament, that Europe is a divisive issue and we are not going to win an election on it, then there is no reason why this should be a faultline within the Conservative Party."

And he warned that "the jury is out" on Duncan Smith's leadership of the Conservative Party.

The peer, a former European commissioner, added that there was "no justification" for a referendum on the proposed European Union constitution "because we haven't got a constitution yet".

"To argue, when we are just embarking on an inter-governmental conference where the actual decisions will be made, that there should be a referendum is, I think, indefensible."

However, Lord Brittan said that the Conservatives still "have a chance" at the next election.

"The way the government is going now, they are handing it to the Conservatives on a plate irrespective of what anyone else does. They are making a mess in almost every possible area of policy," he told ePolitix.com.

"But I don't think it is excessively high-minded or po-faced to want to win elections on the basis of what we have to offer and not the mess that the other lot are making."