TURMOIL over Europe threatened to wreck David Cameron’s attempts to recast the Conservatives as the “party of jobs”, as their conference opened yesterday.

The Tory leader unveiled plans to “get Britain back to work”, by forcing the long-term jobless onto privately-run work schemes after six months, or suffer benefit cuts.

But the initiative was overshadowed by a furious Conservative backlash against the odds-on chances that the Lisbon Treaty will be ratified by all EU countries long before next year’s general election.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron dropped his strongest hint yet that he has abandoned the idea of staging a referendum on Europe even if the treaty has been fully approved before he reaches No. 10.

The Conservative leader pledged a poll “as long as this treaty has not been ratified” – without repeating the previous mantra that “we will not let matters rest there” if it has been.

That will enrage the Tory faithful, more than 80% of whom are demanding a retrospective referendum.

After Ireland decisively backed the treaty in a referendum last Friday, only Poland and the Czech Republic have failed to ratify, with both expected to do so by Christmas.

At the weekend, London Mayor Boris Johnson piled pressure on Mr Cameron, demanding a referendum with a separate question on whether Britain should pull out of the EU altogether.

And there were signs of disarray yesterday, with Tory chairman Eric Pickles telling an interviewer it was “very unlikely” that the treaty would be fully ratified before the election – contradicting Mr Cameron’s caution.

To add to Conservative fury, Tony Blair is the strong favourite to become the first £247,000-a-year “EU President”, after France and Germany apparently agreed the post required a “big hitter”.

Yesterday, Mr Cameron – determined to prevent civil war on Europe – tried to hold the line by arguing he could not “undermine, or prejudice” ongoing debates in Poland and the Czech Republic

Refusing to state his policy if the Lisbon Treaty was fully ratified quickly, he said only: “As long as this treaty has not been ratified everywhere in Europe, then we will pledge to hold that referendum.”

The Tory leader insisted the “centrepiece of our conference” would be the party’s plans to tackle the jobless queues.

He said: “Labour are now the party of unemployment. I want the new Conservative Party to be the party of jobs and opportunity.”