On the day the deadline expires for France to lift its ban on British beef, he accused ministers of always caving in to other countries and gaining an international reputation as a pushover.

During Prime Minister's Question this week, the opposition leader told Tony Blair: "On Monday you gave the French the Third Way and on Wednesday they gave you two fingers."

While this was acknowledged to be a good quip, Mr Hague was then asked to explain how he would have handled the issue if he had been in government.

In response, he set out a series of challenges to the prime minister, including sacking Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and lifting the UK beef-on-the-bone ban.

The beef row has already led to heated protests

But crucially British politicians had to "stop having an attitude where this country is a pushover all the time".

He said :"We've got to get away from the idea that in order to get along with other countries we've got to cave in to them all the time."

The Tory leader insisted other countries' leaders would stand up for their industry and denied his approach would lead to a trade war.

"Nobody's advocating a trade war except the agriculture minister who launched his boycotted of all French products, went around trying to avoid brie for a few weeks, then felt ridiculous and dropped it," he said.

Beef on the bone

Mr Hague also said he would override the advice of the chief scientific advisers in Scotland and Wales and lift the beef-on-the-bone ban.

The continuing ban on beef on the bone in Britain totally undermined the arguments ministers were using to tell France it had to accept the European Commission ruling and allow British beef back into its shops.

"They should be lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban in this country, which would give greater credibility to everything we say on the safety of our beef and I don't know of one reputable scientist left in the country who doesn't think we should lift the ban on beef on the bone," he said.

The opposition of the Scottish and Welsh advisers to lifting the ban should not be allowed to prevent it, he argued.

"That doesn't prevent the government in England from lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban. It doesn't prevent the whole of our country from lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban because that is the decision of politicians.

"Politicians can decide to do that. The scientific advice has always made it clear there was choice whether to have a beef-on-the-bone ban or not. The scientific advice was always borderline."

'New agriculture minister needed'

The Conservative leader restated his call for a new agriculture minister, claiming Mr Brown had lost all credibility during the on-going row with France.

He also said the government should start legal proceedings to force France to bow to the European ruling, even though this process could take years.

"Better to commence legal action and carry on negotiating [than just negotiate]," he said.