Caroline Jackson launches another attack on David Cameron's decision to take the Conservatives out of the EPP

At the end of March, retiring europhile Conservative MEP Caroline Jackson branded David Cameron's decision to take Conservatives MEPs out of the federalist European Peoples' Party as "ridiculous" and "a serious mistake", suggesting that she was minded to leave the party.

She made her point and, as far as we know, she has not left the party.

However, as MEPs gather in Strasbourg for the last week before the European Parliament is dissolved before next month's elections, Mrs Jackson has opted to launch one final salvo through an interview in tomorrow's Guardian. She says:

"David Cameron's decision on the EPP is pathetic and will sow the seeds of endless trouble. It will leave David Cameron and William Hague very isolated because it will leave bad blood with Christian Democrat parties throughout Europe. It is a stupid, stupid policy.

"The party will probably have to creep back to the EPP and say sorry. The Tories are doing this because the party is run by people whose ultimate agenda is to pull Britain out of the EU. I have been a member of the Conservative party since 1963 and started working for the Conservative Research Department in 1973. This is one of the most dotty escapades the Conservative party had ever embarked on."

Frankly it is quite sad that she feels it necessary to punctuate the end of her political career with repeated attacks on the party to which she owed that career.

Jonathan Isaby