COWARDLY David Cameron dodged talks yesterday with the leaders of European political parties opposed to benefits cuts for migrant workers.

The Prime Minister was due to meet the European Parliament’s conference of presidents, which includes the leaders of all political groups.

But the Tory leader, who also refused to make his case for reform to an EU plenary session, pulled out of the meeting on the eve of his visit to Brussels.

Instead, Downing Street officials hastily rearranged individual meetings with supportive politicians.

He met Elmar Brok of the right-wing European People’s Party, Guy Verhofstadt of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and Roberto Gualtieri of the Socialists and Democrats group.

A Downing Street source said all three had “committed to work hard to ensure that the relevant secondary legislation on the emergency brake and child benefit is swiftly adopted by the parliament.”

Mr Cameron hopes the meetings will secure the support of the European Parliament for his reforms.

Key parts, including the “emergency break” on benefits for migrants, will be voted on by MEPs should Britain remain in the EU.

But his snub to five of Parliament's eight political groups - including the Tories' own European Conservatives and Reform group - risked increasing resistance. 

A spokesperson for the Green-EFA group told the Star: “We are disappointed that David Cameron chose not to speak to the presidents of all the political groups. “The deal that David Cameron hopes to agree with his EU counterparts later this week is not the deal we would want, and he should certainly not assume that the GreensEFA group, or indeed the European Parliament as a whole, will simply rubber-stamp it.”

The Nordic Green Left group, who only learned the meeting had been cancelled through press reports, said the snub had  “undermined” the European Parliament.

President Gabi Zimmer added: "Mr Cameron's requests to the European Union include deep changes to EU fundamental principles such as equal treatment, non-discrimination and free movement in which the European Parliament should be fully involved as it touches upon the Parliament's prerogatives in its role as legislator.

“The EU would be well advised not to follow Mr Cameron’s most regressive requests in the field of social security and freedom of movement."

UKIP MEP Nigel Farage branded Mr Cameron "chicken."

However, Labour MEP Glenis Willmott, the party’s leader in the European Parliament, predicted that MEPs would pass the reform package regardless of Mr Cameron’s visit.

“David Cameron’s long history of burning bridges means that a personal visit will probably have little impact on the way the European Parliament will view the proposals,” she said.

"There is support to reach a deal on these issues because colleagues in the European Parliament want Britain to remain in the European Union.

"This support has nothing to do with his flying visit to Brussels - the key point for MEPs is that Britain is better off in the EU, and the EU is better off with Britain in it."