London - Britain will not accept the European single market
being discussed by any group other than the full 27 members of the European
Union, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday.
"Why are we in the organistion (European Union)? We're
there because we're a trading nation, and we want access to the single market
and a full say about the rules of the single market," Cameron told BBC
Radio 4.
"What we can't have is the single market being discussed
outside the European Union, and we'll do everything possible to make sure that
doesn't happen," he said.
Cameron's comments come amid fears that groups within the EU
that do not include Britain could decide new rules affecting the single market
as they try to ease the eurozone debt crisis.
Britain was left isolated in December when Cameron refused
to sign up to a new EU treaty to tackle the crisis.
The prime minister also hailed what he said was a big fall
in bonuses to bankers and other professionals, which have stoked public anger
at a time of deep government spending cuts.
"There's been a massive reduction in the level of bonuses compared with three or four years ago... and we want to see that trend continue."