The British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, condemned France's decision to uphold its ban on British beef imports as "completely and totally wrong" yesterday but the Conservatives, seeking to capitalise on the surprise decision, accused the British government of "weak and incompetent" leadership.
"We can't have countries simply picking and choosing which laws they obey," Mr Blair said ahead of travelling to the European Summit in Helsinki this weekend, which is likely, from a British point of view, to be dominated by the Anglo-French dispute.
Mr Blair, who will raise the issue with the French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, issued a stern warning to the French: "The law has got to be upheld. It is a decision the French government has taken and they have to face the consequences of that in the law courts."
In a stormy Commons the Agriculture Minister, Mr Nick Brown, ignored Tory chants for him to resign and defended the government's efforts. Mr Brown told MPs the government had asked the European Commission to proceed immediately with court action against France to lift the ban.
Preliminary legal moves against France began three weeks ago but on Tuesday EU Commissioners will meet and are expected to issue a "reasoned opinion" setting out the grounds on which the French government could be taken to court. France will have five days to respond after which, if the ban is not lifted, the Commission will proceed with legal moves to begin court action.
The Conservatives accused ministers of betraying farmers by caving in to French demands. "How much longer must Britain tolerate the humiliating spectacle of our Prime Minister dancing like a puppet to Mr Jospin's tune?" demanded Mr Tim Yeo, the shadow agriculture minister.
Alison O'Connor adds from Paris:
Despite the ire of the British government and legal action by the European Commission, France remained defiant yesterday about continuing the ban. The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Jean Glavany, said the health of the French people had to be placed above diplomatic and political considerations.
The government said there was a "lack of sufficient guarantees" on several points.
Earlier this week the French Health Safety Authority (AFSSA) said there were still risks attached to eating British beef. However it refused to clarify whether the ban should be lifted, putting the decision back to the politicians.
"If the British react badly to this, as we fear, then it will be very damaging for Anglo-French relations and will prevent discussions on the fundamental issues," said Mr Glavany.