MANCHESTER, England, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron said his renegotiation of Britain's ties with the European Union was "bloody hard work" but that he would not be rushed into naming a date for a referendum on membership, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
On the eve of the annual conference of his ruling Conservative Party in the northern English city of Manchester, Cameron urged Conservative lawmakers and supporters to show patience.
He has promised a vote by the end of 2017 though many of his own lawmakers expect the referendum to be called for 2016.
In what the newspaper said was a signal that the referendum will not be held early next year, Cameron said his EU counterparts will have "plenty of time" to consider his requests for a new relationship with Brussels.
As many as one in five of Cameron's lawmakers is likely to vote to leave the EU, research from the Open Europe think tank showed on Friday, indicating the scale of the divide over Europe in the ruling Conservative Party.
For at least a generation, Cameron's party has been riven by a conflict over Europe that contributed to the downfall of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, the last two Conservative prime ministers.
Under pressure from lawmakers who feared the electoral success of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, Cameron in 2013 promised a referendum on membership.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Kate Holton)