David Cameron is most likely to face a record opposition over the European Union (EU) after he tried and failed to satisfy Conservative demands for a referendum.

The Prime Minister caused an uproar after he backed the idea of a poll on Europe and said that decision will be taken “when the time is right”, indicating that it could probably mean after the next general election.

Cameron said that for the first time “the two words Europe and referendum can go together”. His comments appeared to signify a step-change in the Conservative’s attitude towards Europe, after 100 MPs urged him to create a new relationship with Brussels.

Many Eurosceptic MPs urged Cameron to make a commitment to a referendum on leaving the European Union before 2015. Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, called the idea “horribly irrelevant”.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said, “The time to decide in a referendum is when we know how Europe’s going to develop and when we know whether we’re going to get a better relationship,” he said, adding, “We want people to have their say when they have a real choice in front of them.”

Labour accused the government of presiding over a shambles, as a number of Conservative MPs suggested they were unhappy. “We should not wait for EU leaders to recognise the failure of the ill-conceived euro before we set out what we want for the British people,” said, Dr Liam Fox, the former Defence Secretary, adding, “Britain’s destiny is not a debating issue for leaders on the Continent.”

Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said he hoped the new position would cause a record rebellion of MPs, much greater than the 81 Conservatives who voted against the government last year.

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