THE British Labour leader, Mr Tony Blair, dismissed as propaganda Tory allegations that his party would be a "soft touch" on Europe yesterday. He insisted he would retain the national veto on key policies.
After stressing the importance of Britain as a "strong, leading player" in Europe rather than an isolated country, Mr Blair pledged he would not give up the veto on issues such as defence, taxation, immigration and border controls.
"That is clear and that is absolute and nobody is in any doubt about that in the rest of Europe. Indeed, in many cases they share our belief that some of these areas should remain areas of unanimity," `he said.
Referring to his meeting with some EU leaders in Dublin last week, Mr Blair said they were clearly aware the Conservative party's internal problems over Europe were "dictating" Britain's stance.
"I certainly got the impression that what they want from any British government, whether it is Labour or Conservative, is clarity and the knowledge that, when you are dealing with the British prime minister, you're dealing with that prime minister ... really the problem they have is that they get different things from different ministers and they are aware the whole time, as indeed we all are, that the internal problems of the Conservative party dictate Britain's position," he added.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Mr Paddy Ashdown, suggested the Tory Euro-sceptics' determination to force Britain out of Europe meant this "could potentially be one of the most dangerous moments" in the country's postwar history. "We are one step away from being out of Europe altogether, led by a Conservative party whose overwhelming majority of anti-Europeans is holding the prime minister hostage and is now taking over the party," he said.
One leading Tory Euro-sceptic and former leadership challenger, Mr John Redwood, said he did not believe the Dublin summit had made progress on the "things that matter most to Britain" such as getting the beef ban lifted.
Mr Redwood suggested this impression may change after Mr Major's report on the summit to the House of Commons this week.