David Cameron has to explain exactly how he intends to reform Britain’s EU relationship

The results of last month’s European elections demonstrated an appetite for change in Europe among voters – all parties seem to agree on that. Which is why David Cameron went into the most recent set of EU Council negotiations with cross-party support to secure a candidate for Commission President that would make achieving that kind of change and reform easier, not harder.

Today there is a widespread and profound sense of disappointment at David Cameron’s apparent failure to build an alliance to secure an alternative candidate for the role. He weakened his own hand in these vital talks by seeming to choose public criticism at the expense of private influence – all of which feels like a worrying foretaste of his ability to deliver on any other promised EU priorities in the future.

As David Cameron’s stock in Europe seems to be slipping, the case for an increased role for the British Parliament in scrutinising the Government’s handling of European affairs strengthens. So