LONDON -- Prime Minister John Major looked set Monday to face down two challenges to his four-year premiership, but critics said his authority over the ruling Conservative Party may be seriously weakened in the process.


Major looked certain to win a parliamentary vote on extra cash for the European Union, expected late Friday evening, after his threat to call a general election in the event of defeat cowed all but a handful of dissidents into toeing the party line.


"We don't want to precipitate a general election and perhaps ensure that we have a Labour government which in our opinion is even worse on Europe," Conservative Nicholas Budgen said.


Budgen was one of 18 "Eurosceptic" Conservative members of parliament who put forward a motion last week challenging the bill.


Strongarm tactics by the government's business managers appeared to have thinned the ranks of the dissidents to six or seven -- well short of the total of 18 needed to defeat the government.


Major enjoys a majority of 14 in the 651-seat House of Commons but is assured in Monday's vote of the support of 10 MPs from Northern Ireland.


With the rebellion petering out, attention was turning to the next hurdle Major must overcome; any formal challenge to his leadership of the party must be launched by Wednesday.


Here, too, his aides were confident that he was home and dry after ex-finance minister Norman Lamont, the man most frequently mentioned as a contender, said Sunday he could "envisage no circumstances" under which he would stand.