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Chancellor says support growing for euro

Gordon Brown also told the BBC he welcomed the efforts of firms to prepare for the single currency.

Ahead of a meeting of European finance ministers in York, Mr Brown said "support in the country has been growing" for monetary union.

But protesters opposed to the single currency, led by the veteran Eurosceptic Lord Tebbit, lie in wait for the Chancellor in York.

They intend to distribute boxes of "Euro Fudge" and perform "Land of Hope and Glory".

Monetary union is off the official agenda for the York meeting. But it continues to head informal conversations and media interest as the decision on who can join is taken in two weeks.

Although the United Kingdom refused to sign up to switch the pound for the euro in the first wave of membership in 1999, a growing number of companies plan to allow customers to choose their currency.

Mr Brown said: "The more the euro is up and running and the more we are ready to get the best advantage for British business out of the euro, the more people will judge it on whether the economic benefits are going to be good for Britain.

"What we want to see happen is that Britain gets the best benefit out of the euro. It is all about getting our national interest advanced."

He said there was a willingness to look at the benefits of European unity free from ideological debate.

The Economic and Finance Meeting (Ecofin) in York will look at the path towards implementation of the euro in a broader context.

Mr Brown added: "Most people in Europe recognise that monetary union and economic reform have to come together.

"We will be talking about how consumers can benefit from the new Europe where a bigger market will allow prices perhaps to come down and certainly not to go up as quickly as they did in the past."

M&S stocks tills with euros

British companies such as Marks & Spencer are already preparing to offer shoppers the chance to spend euros as soon as the single currency is minted.

The UK firm wants to make it simple for tourists to spend their money and also hopes to encourage Britons returning from the Continent to spend their leftover euros in its stores.

To this end, it is installing cashtills that can cope with both pounds and euros.

Another firm, Nestlé Rowntree, will charge its mainland European customers in euros from the start of 1999.

The Chief Executive of Nestlé UK, Peter Blackburn, said many people in Britain thought monetary union was a problem the Continent. He added: "Very quickly businesses will be much more involved with the euro than they might be today."

Hague warns of euro fudge

Conservative Party leader William Hague, meeting business leaders in Warwickshire, said dangers remained inherent to the single currency project.

He said the UK should use its position outside of the core countries committed to monetary union to ensure the convergence criteria were not overlooked in the rush to make the dream a reality.

"Britain must use its power to stop these key decisions being fudged," he said.

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