Tories slap down vice-chairman for suggesting Ukip pact David Cameron makes a statement on the EU budget summit to the House of Commons. The Conservative leadership was forced to slap down its parliamentary campaign chief after he handed the UK Independence party a public relations gift by suggesting that David Cameron should agree an electoral pact with the anti-EU party. As a poll showed that a majority of voters favour EU withdrawal - as long as Britain can maintain strong trading links with its European partners - the Conservative chairman, Grant Shapps, said the party would "categorically" not form any pact with Ukip. Shapps spoke out after Michael Fabricant said the Tories should obtain a "firm commitment" from Ukip that it will not stand against Conservative candidates in the 2015 election if the government offers a "straight 'in-out' referendum" on British membership of the EU. Fabricant, who was appointed as the Tory vice-chairman of parliamentary campaigning after he stood down as a whip in the September reshuffle, wrote in a report for the party: "These steps have to be taken to stop the continued haemorrhage of Conservative votes and enable the Conservative party to move on from the European question if not once and for all, for a generation. Such an offer would not be a sign of weakness by the Conservative party. It would be a pragmatic extension of existing philosophy from a party of government. Moreover, this could mark the final rapprochement between warring brothers."" Fabricant's intervention came ahead of a poll which found that just over half of voters countenance the prospect of leaving the EU. The ComRes/Independent poll found that 54% of voters agree with the proposition that "Britain should leave the EU but maintain close trading links." Just over a third (36%) disagree. The findings were similar to an Observer / Opinium earlier this month which found that 56% of voters would definitely or probably vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held. The findings of such polls are being closely scrutinised in Downing Street, explaining why the prime minister is adopting an increasingly tough stance in EU negotiations. In a statement to MPs on Monday on last week's EU budget summit, Cameron said he could not accept the status quo in the EU. But the Tory leadership was aghast at Fabricant's proposal for a pact with Ukip. Shapps told Radio 4's The World at One: "I want to win the next election outright of course for the Conservatives so that we have an outright majority and we don't have to be in coalition. But I want to do that with Conservative candidates fighting and winning on their own ground and on their own terms and that is exactly what we are going to do. So I can categorically rule out any form of electoral pact with Ukip or anyone else. Fabricant had earlier defended his report as he said he would donate blood to meet Ukip's demand for a pact to be signed in blood. The MP for Lichfield told the Daily Politics on BBC2: "What did [Ukip leader] Nigel Farage say? It will have to be signed in blood. If we feel in 24 months' time that we want a deal with Ukip - and it may not be necessary or advantageous - I will donate the blood. Asked if Farage could be offered a cabinet seat as part of a deal, Fabricant said: "I think Nigel Farage has got a lot of talent and I know we bring in people from other parties to do things in Government, but that would be a judgment for David Cameron and George Osborne." Farage sought to highlight Tory divisions when he told the same programme he could cut a deal with the party if Michael Gove became leader. Gove recently told the Mail on Sunday he would vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held now. The Ukip leader said: "If Cameron went and somebody pragmatic, grown-up and sensible like Michael Gove was leader, we might think then that we could sit round a table and have a proper discussion." The prime minister gently rebuked Fabricant when he sought to liken his pact with Ukip to the alliance Cameron built with Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden at last week's EU budget summit. Fabricant asked: "[The prime minster] will know that I am rather keen on pacts. Does he recall that the frontbench opposite said he would be in utter isolation when he went to his negotiation in Europe? Does he agree that working with other countries actually delivers results for the British taxpayer? The prime minister replied: "I absolutely agree. Can I commend him for all the very good joint working he managed to do in terms of encouraging colleagues to go and campaign in the Corby byelection? The prime minister told MPs that €7.5bn (£6bn) could be cut from the proposed €971bn EU budget by freezing the ceilings on security, justice and external spending. Cameron also indicated that even if a deal on the next seven-year EU budget is agreed early in the New Year, Britain would press for further restraint when yearly budgets are decided each year. He said: "We must not lock in unaffordable ceilings for the next seven years. So if necessary, we may have to galvanise a coalition of like-minded countries to deliver budgetary restraint through annual budget negotiations each year.