Clegg meets European leaders to build bridges after PM's treaty snub

The Deputy Prime Minister said that only joint working would safeguard jobs and boost growth as he hosted a summit of Liberal counterparts from across the Continent and key European officials.

It was organised in the wake of Mr Cameron's refusal to back a new EU treaty last month which angered many in Mr Clegg's largely pro-European party but cheered Tory Eurosceptics. In a sign of his determination to re-engage Britain with Europe, Mr Clegg said: "Europe is at a dangerous juncture and unless we pull together we risk an EU-wide recession, rising unemployment and falling living standards. Liberal Democrats believe the right thing to do is work closely with our allies to drive forward an ambitious plan for jobs and growth." The Admiralty House summit came as the leaders of France and Germany also met yet again to discuss the crisis in the single currency.

Among more than 15 high-profile visitors to London were Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip and German vice chancellor Philipp Rösler. European Commission vice president Olli Rehn was also present, along with trade commissioner Karel De Gucht and home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmström.

They were due to discuss the eurozone and treaty change, economic growth and the EU budget, with aides stating that Mr Clegg would push British interests of protecting the single market and ensuring Europe-wide financial regulations were not changed.

But one stressed that Mr Clegg was not "dictating the terms" as he sought to show that Britain was capable of joint working. "These are people it is worth engaging with and finding out what they have to say," one said. "There is as much listening going on as talking."

Mr Clegg also vowed to oppose a new tax on the City as France considers going it alone on imposing a levy on financial transactions.

"Liberal Democrats and the Coalition are determined to focus on growth and don't want to be distracted from the task at hand by proposals that would put us at a competitive disadvantage in the world, such as a Europe-only financial transaction tax," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

But Tory Eurosceptic MP Peter Bone said: "It is in my view an irrelevant sideshow. Not only is it irrelevant, it shows how disconnected Nick Clegg is from the British people."