Europe hits UK election agenda

Blair took hold of the European issue during a speech in Edinburgh

By CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley

LONDON, England -- A sharp clash between the Labour and Conservative parties over Europe has sharpened the battle in the UK General Election.

Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is warning that the Conservatives would lead Britain into isolation.

The opposition Tories, in turn, accuse him of being scared to stay out of the single currency.

The Conservatives, whose sole election success in recent years was their victory in the European Parliament elections of 1999, which they fought on the slogan of “Save The Pound”, plan to mount a similar campaign in the latter stages of this campaign.

Labour leaders had appeared reluctant at first to engage in a battle over Europe.

They have been keeping the focus largely on their plans to boost Britain’s health and education services, which they say, would be endangered by planned tax cuts under the Conservatives.

But in a keynote speech on foreign affairs on Friday, Blair took the fight to the Tories.

He insisted that the truly patriotic course for Britain was to opt for deep engagement in the European Union. Britain, he argued, must develop the self-confidence to work closely with the EU.

Blair told an audience in Edinburgh: “Britishness is not defined by clinging to the status quo” and insisted that marginalisation in Europe would be a denial of Britain’s national interests. His Conservative opponents, he suggested, would lead Britain into isolation: “The issue for this election is Europe, because the Conservatives have confirmed that they plan two summits straight after the election to renegotiate existing European treaties which this country has signed.

“I warn this country that is a policy playing with fire. It is a step away from leaving Europe, and that would be a disaster for Britain, for British jobs, British industry and influence in the world”.

Michael Portillo, the Conservatives’ shadow foreign secretary, accused Mr Blair of failing to debate the real issues and “creating straw men.”

He denied his party wanted to leave Europe, insisting: “We want to be in Europe but not run by Europe”.

Concentrating on the issue of the Single European Currency, the euro, Portillo argued that the EU was being damaged by its “one size fits all” interest rate policy.

He insisted: “We’re not simply going to go into the euro because Tony Blair thinks it is inevitable or because he is frightened to be left out.”

Following a statement by the previous Tory leader Lady Thatcher that she would “never” go into a single currency -- which goes further than the official Conservative policy of keeping the pound for the lifetime of the next Parliament -- European issues have begun to take centre stage in the election.

Some senior Labour figures feel that raising the question of Europe is a risk for their party with two-thirds of the country, according to opinion polls, currently opposing the idea of joining a single currency.

But Blair has told the Financial Times newspaper that he is confident he can win a referendum on the subject which he has promised the British people if Labour is re-elected.

The demands which the Conservatives are making for the repatriation of some law-making from Brussels to Britain and for renegotiation of a number of treaties and agreements would be unlikely to be conceded by the other EU members whose consent would be required.

That, Blair argues, means that Britain would be isolated in Europe under the Tories who might then threaten withdrawal.

And, he believes that while Britain may be a predominantly Euro-sceptic country many voters would be frightened by any prospect of Britain leaving the EU.

Few voters choose their governments on foreign policy questions. Opinion polls show Europe ranking no higher than sixth or seventh as one of the issues on which people will determine their vote.

But in what has been an otherwise bland election, Europe does provide sharp divisions between the major parties. It will bring heat, if not necessarily light, to the latter stages of the campaign.