More European leaders have poured cold water on David Cameron's hopes to restrict free movement within the European Union.
Sweden's Stefan Lofven and Finland's Alexander Stubb both appeared to shoot down the idea just hours before they met the Prime Minister at a summit in Helsinki.
Earlier this week aides to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the idea as "not negotiable".
Mr Stubb said: "To start putting restrictions on free movement in one way or another I would find quite difficult."
Mr Lofven also criticised Mr Cameron's approach, saying: "It's not much of an internal market if we develop a market together and then one or two countries say we want to change this."
Mr Cameron also faced embarrassment when the UK's EU Commissioner called for "calm" over last month's surprise £1.7 billion bill from Brussels. The Conservative leader's fiery response to the demand for extra cash lambasted the EU.
Lord Hill warned that the "sensible thing now is to try to calm the situation down".
European finance ministers are to discuss the issue at a meeting in Brussels today. The timing could scarcely be worse for the Tories, currently battling the eurosceptic Ukip in a crunch Westminster by-election.
Last night Douglas Alexander, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said Mr Cameron was making a difficult situation in Europe "even worse".
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