EU budget summit: Cameron demands further cuts

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, says he will not accept an EU budget deal unless further cuts are made in negotiations in Brussels.

European Union leaders are gathering for a two-day summit to try to strike a seven-year spending deal, after a previous meeting in November failed.

But Mr Cameron said the figures being proposed "need to come down. And if they don't... there won't be a deal".

The European Commission head called for "a spirit of responsibility" in talks.

Jose Manuel Barroso said: "Further delays will send out a very negative message at this time of fragile economic recovery. The risk is that positions will harden and will be even more difficult to overcome."

The UK, Germany and other northern European nations want to lower EU spending to mirror the cuts being made by national governments across the Continent.

An EU source told BBC News any extra cut would probably be made to growth-related spending in areas such as energy, transport, the digital economy and research.