With the vote on the reform package less than a month away, the 25 members of the opposition camp show no signs of reaching a compromise.

Mr Chan, speaking on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong, said Beijing might allow more significant changes in 2012 if the package was passed this time.

'The central government will see directly elected lawmakers acting in a constructive way. It will then be harder for officials up there to say that they cannot trust the pan-democrats.

'The pressure will be on Beijing to come up with a more significant package next time around in 2012.'

But if the package was vetoed now, national leaders would see the opposition as troublemakers.

'They will think it is a good thing there are only 25 of those legislators, and maybe we will be offered small-scale reform again,' he said.

Mr Chan said a small-scale survey of the insurance industry, which he represents in the Legislative Council, found that more than 50 per cent of respondents felt the government proposals were better than nothing. About 40 per cent felt the proposals did not go far enough, but up to 80 per cent wanted Legco to pass them, he said.

Mr Chan sees little chance of a second package to swing the vote.

'The government does not have a free hand. At best, it might offer to phase out the appointed district council seats,' he said, referring to proposals to allow elected and appointed councillors to elect the chief executive in 2007 and to return six lawmakers in 2008.

Article 45 Concern Group legislator Ronny Tong Ka-wah said the big problem was not Beijing's lack of trust in the democratic camp.

'The problem is that the business sector in Hong Kong has no confidence in us,' he said. Democratic Party leader Lee Wing-tat doubted if Beijing would honour promises of greater democracy if his allies made a compromise this time. Party members ended a hunger strike against the electoral reform package last night. Activists began the strike on Saturday in protest against the lack of a timetable on universal suffrage.