BRITAIN: Former cabinet minister and leading Blairite loyalist, Mr Alan Milburn, yesterday sought to dispel speculation that the prime minister, Mr Tony Blair, might quit following the proposed British referendum on the European constitution, writes Frank Millar
Former Labour leader, now European Commissioner, Mr Neil Kinnock, surprised colleagues when he broke ranks on Sunday and speculated about Mr Blair's tenure amid cabinet fallout over the prime minister's U-turn on the referendum issue. Mr Kinnock said it would be no surprise if Mr Blair decided the time had come to "hang up his boots" following a referendum, whatever its outcome.
However Mr Milburn told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "It's not the impression I get from my talks with the prime minister This is a guy who's going for it." Mr Milburn was speaking after he and former cabinet colleagues Mr Peter Mandelson and Mr Stephen Byers rallied to Mr Blair's cause, arguing that a British 'No' vote would jeopardise the entire social democratic cause in Britain.
Their intervention, in an article in the Guardian, was contrasted with the continued silence of a number of senior ministers reportedly unhappy either with the decision to hold a referendum or Mr Blair's failure to consult them about it prior to last Tuesday's Commons statement.
However, while the trio buried any doubts they may have had about a public vote, the unease of pro-European figures was reflected in their observation that, whereas a year ago the Blair government was contemplating a positive referendum on the euro, "the lack of full economic convergence and of a compelling argument for joining now mean it was not sensible economically or politically for this to be the issue around which pro-European forces coalesced".