Birmingham's International Conference Centre resounded to the sound of European warfare yesterday, as the British Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, told business to prepare for EMU, while the Tory leader, Mr William Hague, condemned the "lemming" rush toward a single currency.
The battle lines for the next election seemed still more tightly drawn last night, as the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, again affirmed his desire to see the single currency work.
Britain's own decision would "be judged on a hard-headed assessment of the economic benefits", he said.
But in his Guildhall speech to the City, Mr Blair said of the euro, "influence not impotence must be our objective in shaping how it will work".
Outlining his vision of "enlightened patriotism", Mr Blair said Britain would have to stay apart, should Europe embark on a path that was wrong or repugnant to British interests
"But subject to that, there is no place for misguided Little Englander sentiment. The world is moving closer together. The EU will continue to develop."
Earlier, in his most pro-European speech to date, Chancellor Brown had hammered that message home, telling the Confederation of British Industry conference that business leaders should "get down to the serious business of preparation" for European economic and monetary union.
Announcing a series of measures designed to facilitate the use of the euro in the UK from its 1999 start date, the Chancellor called for a new "national economic consensus" to plan for the future.
And he sought to widen the gulf between Labour and the Conservatives, charging that Mr Hague's proposal to rule out participation in EMU for at least 10 years would result in the loss of British influence at the decision-making heart of Europe.
Even though the British government had decided not to join in the first wave, Mr Brown said it would play its part in shaping it so that a decision could be taken early in the next parliament.
Renewing the pledge that Britain would deliver a "practical and constructive" EU presidency, Mr Brown said the country would prepare to become a member of the European Central Bank if there was a decision to join the single currency.
Clearly delighted to exploit the rift between the CBI and the Tories, Mr Brown declared: "It is practical commonsense that, after almost 18 years of debate, we should be able to resolve the question of principle and agree that the economic benefits will mark the decisive test.
"It is practical commonsense to say that if the economic case is compelling, we should be prepared to join.
"And it is practical commonsense that, when other countries have been preparing seriously for five years, we should begin real preparations now."
Mr Brown said companies needed accurate information to be able to trade in euros, how they could compete when the currency started in 1999, and what they needed to do if and when Britain joined.
The government, said Mr Brown, would draw up an agenda similar to that used to promote decimalisation in 1971. It also had plans to introduce an official "seal of approval" to help firms identify which banks offered reliable information on the euro and allowed customers to bank in euros.
The Chancellor won an enthusiastic response from Sir Colin Marshall, the CBI president, who said Mr Brown's speech was clearer than his Commons statement two weeks ago.
"What he is pressing upon business is the need to prepare for eventual entry into EMU, irrespective of when that might occur," he said.
