Cameron averts row over Europe speech David Cameron is planning to move the date of his keynote speech on Europe as the event threatens to turn into a diplomatic and public relations shambles before he even utters a word. Downing Street had scheduled the event for January 22, initially not realising that it coincided with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Elysee treaty, a crucial day in the Franco-German calendar. After a backlash from Berlin at the weekend it will now "most likely" be moved, possibly to the following day. Mr Cameron wants to use the speech to pick a delicate path between pro-EU business leaders and his most rightwing MPs, proposing a renegotiation of Britain's relationship with Brussels rather than an outright exit. Yet his ambiguous position prompted a warning from the Obama administration last week, which said it wanted Britain to keep a "strong voice" in Brussels. Meanwhile, Lord Heseltine claimed that the prime minister's Europe policy could drive away inward investment, damaging the economy. Ed Miliband, Labour leader, said on Sunday that the prime minister's strategy was "incredibly dangerous" and had left Mr Cameron in danger of "sleepwalking" Britain towards an EU exit. The Tory leader has already opened the door to the idea of a referendum, saying in a newspaper article last summer that he wanted a "real choice" for voters. Such signals have stiffened the resolve of the 100 or so eurosceptics who want a straight "in-out" choice over membership. Bill Cash, who led the Maastricht rebellion, told the Financial Times that Britain's 35m voters should be allowed to express their views. Eric Pickles, communities secretary, meanwhile told the BBC on Sunday that a referendum would have to be about whether Britain stayed in Europe. "We shouldn't stay at any price," he said. A moderate group of eurosceptic Tories, the Fresh Start group, will on Wednesday set out alternative ways to improve the EU. George Eustice, a Tory MP and spokesman for the group, said there had been an "overemphasis" on an in-out referendum. Yet even the Fresh Start demands are seen as problematic by coalition strategists. Ken Clarke, the Tory cabinet minister, and Lord Mandelson, former Labour cabinet minister, on Sunday launched a new pro-Europe group called the Centre for British Influence through Europe to step up pressure from the other direction. A survey of business people by the British Chambers of Commerce on Sunday found nearly half wanted to renegotiate the UK's relationship with Europe while staying in the EU - a position close to that of Mr Cameron. Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the advertising group, separately warned that if politicians continued to "grandstand" it would damage the UK's negotiating position in Brussels. But Lord Wolfson, chief executive of Next, welcomed the prospect of renegotiation.