Minister's new blow for Major

John Major suffered a fresh blow over Europe last night following reports at Westminster that the chief architect of his non-cooperation policy had threatened to resign from the Government.

David Davis, the Foreign Office Minister of State with responsibility for Europe, was said to have written a letter of resignation to the Prime Minister, but it had not been accepted. Efforts were said to be under way to persuade him to stay in office.

The report threw No 10 and the Foreign Office into confusion. As the news broke, they fled a midnight press briefing in Florence where the European Union summit begins today.

While the threat of resignation was not denied or repudiated, the disarray in the British camp was further underlined by total uncertainty over the state of the deal on the beef war.

Mr Davis was responsible for drawing up a range of options for forcing the beef ban on to the EU agenda.

The speculation surrounding Mr Davis, 47, a key minister in the Prime Minister's strategy team, will be doubly unsettling for Mr Major. He was one of the Prime Minister's most active campaigners in last year's leadership election, and was personally committed to the tough action against the European partners. Rumours of his threatened departure will fuel anxiety among Euro-sceptics that there has been a sell-out over beef.

He was said to be dissatisfied with the Government's reluctance to maintain a tough line, and has told friends he will resign unless he gets promotion in the expected July reshuffle.

There are long-standing Westminster rumours that he has been promised the job of Agriculture Minister - currently held by Douglas Hogg - but last night's developments may put an end to that possibility.

Mr Davis is due to visit Florence today to coincide with the make-or- break meeting between John Major and Jacques Santer, the European Commission President, and Romano Prodi, the Italian Prime Minister. The meeting will decide whether the "climbdown" agreement constructed by the commission is agreed or amended.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Major had denied he had suffered a "rout" in the row with the European Union over the ban on beef exports. It was "frankly untrue", he said. "Some of the stories we have seen over the last 24 hours are from Alice in Wonderland. They have no basis in fact whatsoever." But he said today would be make-or-break for the beef package. "I don't yet know whether we will be able to reach a deal. I shan't know that until the morning ...

"If a few people are going to complain and gripe about our tactics, well I'm afraid that's life, and that's politics."

Mr Major was speaking after arriving in Florence at 11.30pm, his plane having been diverted to Pisa because of a runway fault.

His comments followed a fierce attack in the Commons from Tony Blair, the Labour leader, who described ministerial claims that the deal was a triumph as "an utter travesty of the truth". There was no guarantee the ban would be lifted and Britain would have to spend billions on compensation.

At today's meeting, Britain's European partners may bow to British demands for an early lifting of the beef-export ban to third countries, in a final concession that could ensure a framework to end the crisis.

Lamberto Dini, the Italian foreign minister, yesterday voiced "sympathy" with Britain's position on third-country exports, and envisaged a possible compromise formula under which Britain might export to non-EU countries on a "case-by-case basis". Given that Italy holds the EU presidency, Mr Dini's remarks are significant.