Further questions saw the panel agree that the UK "wasn't getting a good deal from the EU" while debate almost broke out over whether the North American Free Trade Area was a better thing.

BBC: Heated consensus on the Tory fringe

Mr Bush came to power last year a committed free-trader: he envisages the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas, building on the North American Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and stretching from Canada to Chile.

ECONOMIST: APEC, terrorism and trade