Blair ducks the euro

Tony Blair is seeking to boost his pro-Europe image

By BBC News Online political correspondent Nick Assinder

Tony Blair has sought to put the government onto the front foot over Europe with a powerful assault on the EU's critics.

In a carefully co-ordinateed set of speeches, he and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook have accused the anti-Europeans of being unpatriotic and threatening the country's interests.

They have insisted that it would be disastrous for Britain to turn its back on the EU.

And Mr Blair said it would be a "supreme act of folly" for the country to cut itself off from Europe.

But the crucial question of Britain's entry into the single currency hardly got a look in.

And that has highlighted the government's huge political problem over the entire issue of Europe.

On the one hand, Mr Blair is determined to beef up his pro-European image with warnings of dire consequences if Britain ever became lukewarm to the EU.

Cook: Tackling the myths

But at the same time he appears eager to shut down any pre-election debate over the euro for fear of it losing him votes.

Euro myths

The speeches came against a background of significant advances by Eurosceptics since the last general election and the looming EU summit in Nice next month.

The prime minister is determined to counter the "myths" he claims are peddled by anti-European newspapers - particularly over alleged plans for a superstate - and to persuade voters that a strong relationship with the EU is essential.

He knows voter enthusiasm for the EU, and the single currency in particular, has waned and that there is even a growing undercurrent of calls for withdrawal.

The great fear is that, unless he engages in the battle now, the Eurosceptics will seize their advantage in the run up to the next election.

William Hague's "Keep the Pound" campaign appears to have struck a chord with voters and all the signals now coming form ministers are that any decision on British euro-entry is a very long way away.

Mr Blair appeared to shift the government's emphasis recently when he declared that, if there was a referendum on entry now, he would vote No.

Even Peter Mandelson, the Northern Ireland secretary and a passionate pro-European, has admitted any referendum is far in the future.

Difficult summit

The official line, of course, is that the government's position has not changed.

Early in the next parliament it will assess whether the famous five conditions for entry have been met and then decide whether to call a referendum on joining.

But it is absolutely clear that the language has changed and that ministers simply do not want the election to turn into a battle over the euro.

The more immediate problem Mr Blair is facing, however, is the Nice summit where there will be moves to double the size of the EU and, as a result, water down individual countries' voting power.

It is going to be a particularly difficult summit with little room for the prime minister to look victorious.

So he is determined to tackle the Eurosceptics head on and argue his case beforehand.

But there is no doubt he faces a sharp political dilemma. The opposition has wasted no time in pointing out that, while Mr Blair is launching a pro-European campaign, he is virtually ignoring the single biggest issue of the euro.

And that may well be one of the prime minister's greatest problems between now and the election.