BRITAIN'S campaign to disrupt European Union business moved from internal to foreign affairs yesterday.
EU diplomats said Britain had blocked two joint foreign policy initiatives and was poised to veto development aid programmes for some of the world's poorest countries at a ministerial meeting in Brussels today.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Major, last week announced a campaign of non co-operation in EU affairs until the Union acted to lift the worldwide ban on British beef.
Under its new policy, Britain is either vetoing or putting so called reserves on any business that requires the support of all 15 EU members. Diplomats said this entered the foreign policy realm when Britain refused to agree to a joint EU statement condemning the Burmese government for arresting dissidents. Italy, the current EU president, put out a statement on its own.
Britain was also blocking a decision by the EU to send observers to monitor elections in Mongolia, officials said. The moves were the first under London's new policy that affected countries outside the Union.
Substantive programmes are under threat today, when EU ministers responsible for overseas development policy are to meet. Britain indicated last week that it would block programmes to combat AIDS, assist Asian and Latin American refugees and protect the environment in the Third World.
Rachel Borrill adds from London The British government vigorously defended its policy of non co-operation with Europe despite accusations from opposition parties and Tory backbenchers that it was jingoistic.
Mr Roger Freeman, who heads the cabinet sub committee planning the non co-operation strategy, described the policy as "sensible standing up for Britain" and dismissed the threats by one Tory backbencher to resign the party whip over the issue, which would wipe out the government's one seat majority.
Mr George Walden, the Tory MP for Buckinghamshire, said many of his colleagues supported his view and that he would resign the party whip if the party persisted with its anti European stance.
Another pro European Tory backbencher, Sir Julian Critchley, who will stand down at the general election, admitted he might not vote Conservative at the election because of the party's right wing stance but stressed he would not bring down the government.
Earlier, the agriculture minister, Mr Tim Boswell, pledged that the government would examine a loophole which may have allowed meat from infected cattle to be passed to the public. Under the present law farmers are can keep the infected caracases for their own consumption.