British minister hints he may campaign to leave EU

LONDON (Reuters) - A senior British minister suggested on Thursday he could campaign to leave the EU if the bloc failed to meet Prime Minister David Cameron's "demands for change", in one of the strongest criticisms of the bloc from a cabinet member.

In a carefully worded article for the Telegraph newspaper, Chris Grayling, the leader of the House of Commons lower chamber of parliament, said the European Union was heading towards further integration that Britain should not follow.

A Cameron ally, Grayling did not say outright that he would campaign to leave the 28-member bloc after the prime minister's renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the EU, but he outlined what he described as his "strong Eurosceptic views".

"Simply staying in the EU with our current terms of membership unchanged would be disastrous for Britain," Grayling wrote.

"I have always believed that it is imperative that his renegotiation takes place and delivers as much potential change as possible ... I want Britain to choose between a changed relationship and leaving."

Cameron wants to reform Britain's ties with the bloc before a referendum which he has promised will come by the end of 2017 and says he will campaign to stay in the EU if he succeeds in getting what he calls 'the best deal for Britain'.

The prime minister has suggested he wants the referendum to take place this year, possibly in June at the earliest, and has expressed confidence he can secure change in the four areas where he is seeking to redefine Britain's membership terms.

But some of his closest advisers and dozens of MPs in the ruling Conservative Party have indicated that they are not convinced the renegotiation will bring the change they want and have suggested they will vote to leave the European Union.

Earlier this month, Cameron bowed to pressure to allow government ministers to campaign to leave the EU once talks had been completed, heading off the prospect of multiple resignations from his top team.

Grayling is among several cabinet ministers who are opposed to further integration within the bloc.

"The crisis in the euro zone and the migration challenge have led to calls for still more integration and a move towards much greater political union," he wrote.

"It is a path that the UK will not and should not follow."

(Reporting By Costas Pitas; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Elizabeth Piper)