Still, the thought of reform has created consternation in the industry.

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MPs, alarmed at the thought that many of them would lose their seats after electoral reform.

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An old but creaking system of consensus, the lingering loyalty of bosses and employees to an unaffordable social-welfare model, and a web of constitutional checks and balances designed to prevent even the most fleeting thought of another tyranny, have all made it extraordinarily hard to carry out reform in Germany.

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He thought a referendum would be a choice between the status quo and modest reform of Britain's membership - an "in-in" rather than "in-out" choice.

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The report will eventually go before a joint committee of both the Commons and Lords - though the government is thought unlikely to introduce further reform legislation before the next general election.

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