Blair-Brown push for pro-EU consensus
Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown will today share a joint press conference in a bid to set the record straight on Britain’s desire to have a full and leading role in the European Union.
At Downing Street, the pair will set out Britain’s long-term strategic goal of partnering Europe politically, economically and consensually.
They will make plain to the British public that refraining from taking up the euro currency at present is dissimilar to affirming EU membership.
Looking to suppress popular anti-euro sentiment, the duo will call for a ‘national debate’ on EU membership.
Critics claim the conference is a mere media event to spin a unified stance on the euro and the UK’s role in the eurozone.
Some pundits suggest Mr. Blair and Mr. Brown have been at loggerheads over the timing of a possible EU referendum.
Mr. Brown last night insisted politicians must work to ward off the ‘whole undergrowth of prejudice’ against the EU.
The rare gathering comes after the Chancellor delivered a resounding no verdict yesterday on Britain’s chances of single currency embrace in the short term.
In Mr. Brown’s pivotal and defining speech in the Commons, the Chancellor noted only one of his favour five-economic tests had been met outright.
The Chancellor said whilst the financial services test had been met, tests on sustainable convergence, flexibility, employment and foreign investment had not.
On BBC2’s ‘Newsnight’ last night, Mr. Brown expressed regret that the UK economy had not converged fully with markets in the EU.
‘It was sad that we had not made the progress that we wanted to in certain areas, but of course the important thing is we do meet the five tests.
