The former Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine, has played down reports that he is prepared to join a cross-party committee to promote a more constructive role for Britain in Europe.

Michael Heseltine speaks to Brian Hayes on BBC 5 Live (3' 55")

The Independent on Sunday had reported that Mr Heseltine was set to join a group similar to a previous 'grand alliance' before the referendum on the Common Market in 1975.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was reported to be keen to recruit pro-European Tories for the committee, along with politicians from other parties.

Mr Heseltine, while arguing that it is important to present the advantages of Britain's membership of the European Union, he told the BBC he "wouldn't do anything incompatible with his position as a Conservative MP."

Tony Blair made it clear when the UK took over the revolving presidency of the European Union in January that his aim was for Britain once again to play a leading role.

Tony Blair wants to form a pro-European consensus

In a speech to be delivered at The Hague on Tuesday, Mr Blair is expected to say that pro-Europeans should come together and form a cross-party alliance to promote British interests.

The Liberal Democrat Leader, Paddy Ashdown, is reported to be keen to play a leading role in a platform to promote Europe.

A dozen leading Tories infuriated the Conservative leader, William Hague, two weeks ago when they wrote to the Independent newspaper saying they backed Tony Blair's position on Europe.

William Hague speaks to Sir David Frost on the BBC (2' 05")

Mr Hague said on Sunday that the reports that Mr Heseltine might join a cross-party group on Europe were "reheated news we had a couple of weeks ago".

William Hague dismisses talk of a pro-European pact

He told the BBC that such a group had not yet been formed and he claimed the story had been reheated "by a few Labour Party propagandists who want to distract attention from what is going on between No 10 and No 11".

In a reference to newspaper claims of worsening relations between Tony Blair and , Gordon Brown, Mr Hague claimed: "The real news this morning is that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are clearly at war with each other and that their assistants are at war with each other.

"And that is a far more serious matter than whether we have cross-party organisations of various kinds in a few years' time."

Heath denounces Hague's attitude

The former Conservative Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, made a scathing attack on his own leader's comments on Europe and asked Mr Hague to listen to the Pro-European movement in the Tory Party.

"When I was leader of our party, I never said, well of course Churchill and Eden and Macmillan, they are all passe, they don't matter, don't pay any attention to them.

"It's not really quite the way that the way the leader of the party normally behaves."

Sir Edward said Mr Hague was wrong to rule out entering a single currency for ten years.

"Which businessman would announce to the public or to his shareholders, 'on such-or-such a thing we will do nothing for ten years'? They wouldn't dream of saying that.

"I can't think of any sphere of life in which you would say 'absolutely nothing for the next ten years' and then still go on fighting for nothing. "

The former Premier said Mr Hague was "quite wrong" on Europe and the Tory Party's scepticism over the single currency had alienated many of its traditional supporters.

The battle between the Europhobes and Europhiles in the Conservative Party appears set to rumble on for some time to come. Mr Hague's promise of a free vote in the House of Commons seems to have placated Michael Heseltine for the time being, but Mr Heseltine will not rule out actively campaigning on a case for EMU and further European integration.
 

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