Senior Conservatives have criticised party leader David Cameron’s European policy and his demands for a referendum on the new EU treaty.

Former chancellor Kenneth Clarke said referendum demands had “an inner absurdity” and argued that moving away from Euroscepticism would make the Conservatives more electable.

Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Douglas Hurd credited Mr Cameron with “draining the poison” from the issue, but said a referendum was unjustified.

Speaking on GMTV's Sunday Programme, the pro-European Clarke advised: “One thing that will make a Conservative Party electable... will be if we continue to dilute this absurd, extreme Eurosceptism that swept over the party in the last ten years.”

Clarke, who chairs the party's democracy task force, continued: “I find the idea of a referendum on whether the Polish voting deal was the correct one and whether you should have a rotating presidency of the European Council has an inner absurdity.”

“And as for the arguments that this is bringing the end to our nation's sovereignty and that all the European countries have now given up their right to an independent foreign policy, that is just crackpot.”

Hurd told GMTV referendums should be reserved for “the most extraordinary earthquakes which are proposed,” adding: “I don't think there's anything in this treaty in so far as we can see it now which actually justifies that.”