Milburn: Rejection of EU treaty might force Blair’s resignation
Speculation that Tony Blair might resign if Britain votes ‘no’ in the referendum on the EU Constitution has been given another lease of life.
Campaign strategist Alan Milburn yesterday conspicuously refused to rule out the possibility.
Mr Milburn – recently drafted back into the Cabinet to oversee the election campaign – refused to rule out the possibility of Mr Blair stepping down if a referendum is lost.
Assuming that Labour wins the upcoming general election, the referendum is likely to be held in the spring of 2006. Last week the bill authorising the ratification of the treaty and the referendum question cleared the first stage of the Commons.
Pressed on the scenario of a “no” vote and the ramifications for the leadership, Mr Milburn refused to give categorical assurance that Mr Blair would stay on.
“Let’s see what happens in the referendum,” he said.
Mr Blair has pledged to serve a full third term of office but not a fourth, but there has been speculation that he could step down earlier.
This was dismissed by Mr Milburn who said the premier’s desire to lead was undimmed as he had “the same passion and the same commitment for the job” as when Labour came to power in 1997, the former Health Minister added.
On the likelihood of Labour winning the “yes” vote, Mr Milburn said the public mood was a little more “equivocal” than analysts and polls suggest.
“I have always thought, indeed I supported the idea of a referendum, I have always thought that you could win it,” he said.
“It partially, of course, depends what happens with the general election result and the momentum out of that.”
Voters will be asked at the referendum: “Should the United Kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union?”
Britain is the only country in Europe where more voters oppose the EU Constitution than back it, a poll for the EU Commission recently found.
