The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, yesterday refused to rule out quitting government and standing as First Minister in the new Scottish parliament. In what are thought to be his first public comments on the matter since newspaper speculation that he might make the switch, he said both jobs were "very rewarding and exciting".
Mr Cook, MP for the Scottish constituency of Livingston, told BBC 1's Breakfast with Frost that the speculation was "very flattering", but journalists had not discussed the story with him.
"My position is perfectly clear. I have a job which is very exciting and very rewarding," he said.
With Britain now EU President for six months, he was just embarking on a "very, very intensive" period of work. "There will be time enough to think about the future at another time, but I'm very happy at my job," Mr Cook said.
In response to newspaper suggestions that he would have to decide by the summer if he was going to go to the Scottish parliament, the Foreign Secretary said: "I haven't even looked into deadlines and dates and that sort of question."
Mr Cook said he hoped to see negotiations between the EU and central European countries which have applied to join the completed by the year 2000. But he said the talks would be more difficult than those which led to Austria, Sweden and Finland joining in 1995. The EU summit in Luxembourg last month invited Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus to begin negotiations on joining.
Mr Cook also said Turkey is not a credible candidate for joining the EU in the foreseeable future, mainly because of its human rights record.
Meanwhile, Tory heavyweights have threatened to reopen the party's wounds on Europe by publicly pledging support for Mr Blair on difficult EU decisions ahead and calling for Britain to prepare now to join a successful single currency.
The views expressed in the letter in today's London Independent, notably on the single currency, are sharply at odds with the party leadership's line, which is effectively to rule out joining monetary union for up to 10 years.
The signatories include former deputy prime minister, Mr Michael Heseltine, ex-Chancellor Mr Kenneth Clarke, former Tory chairman and ex-Hong Kong governor Mr Chris Patten, the former prime minister Sir Edward Heath and the former Foreign Secretary Lord (Geoffrey) Howe.
Mr Cook welcomed their "constructive approach" and looked forward to more Tories recognising the value of a positive approach to Europe.