Conservatives want to claw back powers from EU

By Kylie MacLellan

LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives pledged Wednesday to seek the return of some powers from the European Union to Britain if they won an election expected next year, but said they did not aim to sabotage the bloc.

Party leader David Cameron unveiled the party's new stance on Europe after admitting that Czech President Vaclav Klaus's signing of the Lisbon treaty Tuesday had sunk his hopes of holding a British referendum on the document.

The shift has angered some on the Eurosceptic right of Cameron's party who say he must keep his referendum promise.

The party will try to negotiate the return of Britain's opt-out in some areas of EU social and employment law, claw back powers in the criminal justice area and win a "complete opt-out" from the EU's charter of fundamental rights, Cameron said.

He said in a speech that he would change the law so that any future transfer of power to Brussels would have to be put to a referendum in Britain.

The Conservatives, strong favourites to win a national election due by next June, said they would enact a similar "legal lock" to prevent any future government taking Britain into the euro single currency without a referendum.

"What I am promising today is doable, credible, deliverable," Cameron said.

Analysts say Cameron is trying to hang on to the votes of