Brussels, 01/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - New leader of the British Conservative Party, David Cameron promised that he would take the 27 Tory MEPs out of the EPP-ED group, and, on 31 January, former leader William Hague contacted members of other groups, principally the Polish Law and Justice party, in Brussels to try to form a new political group. However, several British EPP-ED members are known to oppose such a move, and Mr Hague recognised on Tuesday that negotiations will probably last months. According to the Financial Times, when asked by reporters about the warning from Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy (whose parties belong to the EPP-ED) that they would cut off high-level contact with Mr Cameron if the Tories left the EPP-ED group, Mr Hague said the prospect of a good working relationship with other EU leaders “matters to us greatly”, but added, “We won't change our position because of people threatening us in any way”. Before joining the EPP group (which changed its name to the European Popular Party-European Democrats), British Conservatives were long members of a Conservative group in the EP, with conservatives from other Member States.