^aDepartment of Politics & Contemporary European Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9SJ, UK. E-mail: p.webb@sussex.ac.uk

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the apparent assimilation of the European issue by the Conservative parliamentary party between 1997 and 2005. It does this through a cluster analysis of British Representation Survey data, which allows an assessment of the impact of Europe on the attitudinal cohesion of the party. This confirms the widespread impression that the Conservatives seem to have absorbed this issue and thus staved off the threat of internal fragmentation that once loomed over them. It is argued, however, that the potential for future intra-party conflict around this cleavage cannot be dismissed. Electoral recovery and a return to national governmental office hold the potential to re-open divisions over Europe.