SERIOUS negotiations on the future of the European Union have been effectively put on hold pending the outcome of the general election, the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Malcolm Rifkind, said yesterday.
Britain's EU partners were waiting to see who would be in 10 Downing Street, he said.
"I don't expect the negotiating to become really serious until after our election on the issues where there is a difference between ourselves and the Labour Party," Mr Rifkind told BBC Radio 4.
"Because obviously what other European governments are waiting to see is if there was a change of government in this country, then some of the demands from
Brussels would simply fall into their lap. They would not need to negotiate.
He reaffirmed the British government had no intention of abandoning its "wait and see" policy on a single currency, despite continuing demands from Tory Eurosceptics for the Prime Minister to rule out joining in the lifetime of the next parliament.
Mr Rifkind acknowledged that there were different views within the Cabinet on the issue but denied these amount to a rift.
Mr Rifkind accepted there was a greater political will, particularly in Germany and France, to achieve monetary union but stressed it still depended on the economic convergence criteria being met.
"Political will by itself doesn't change economics and it will be the economic reality that will determine not just the principle of a single currency for some countries in Europe but also its timing," he said.