Cameron's Europe veto cost Britain credibility, Church claims Eurosceptic MPs last night accused the Church of England of sounding like "an EU lobby group" and being "out of touch with the people." In the strongly worded paper, the council urges the British Government to "rebuild trust" with European partners, such as France and Germany. It claims the Prime Minister's veto was a symptom of Britain's "waning influence" in Europe and shows a "declining ability to cultivate allies." The situation left the UK "without credibility as a negotiating partner" as the veto opposes measures "in line with UK national interest." It also cautions that strong anti-European feeling has "opened up the prospect of a referendum defeat" over membership of the union. Unless more effort is made to court Brussels, Britain will find itself "slowly drifting towards the exit," the paper argues. The Church also has strong words of warning for other European nations. It claims that more integration into a European super-state may weaken the single market, judicial system and common foreign policy. "There is a very real worry therefore that the fiscal compact while saving the euro might over time contribute to the EU's demise," the Church claims. It says it will be hard for the EU to meet future challenges such as poverty, crime and climate change "if Britain is excluded from its core." The paper concludes by advising the Coalition to "press for a deepening of the single market" in a multi-speed Europe. "These measures might go some way to dispelling the impression given in December 2011 that Britain was being awkward for the sake of it," it says. David Nuttall, MP for Bury North and a church warden, said he "deeply disagreed" with the Church's position on the EU veto. "I didn't realise they were so out of touch with the vast majority of the public's views on this particular issue," he said. I think the Prime Minister was absolutely right to exercise the veto. Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, added: "The Archbishop Council's evidence reads as if it comes from an EU lobby group. "Extraordinarily it sets the church against not only the 80 per cent of British people who want a referendum on Europe but also the gospel to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."" A spokesman for the Church of England confirmed the submission had been prepared by its Mission and Public Affairs team on behalf of the Archbishops" Council.