BRITAIN: British Conservatives in the European Parliament are to renew their membership of an alliance of European centre-right parties, despite continuing opposition to a constitution for Europe and the single currency.
The previous Tory leader, Mr Ian Duncan Smith, reportedly wanted to end his party's affiliation to the European People's Party (EPP), but his successor, Mr Michael Howard, has decided not to break away from the largest group in the parliament.
The price Mr Howard is exacting for continuing affiliation is a rewriting of the EPP's rules to spell out what has hitherto been a firm but informal understanding: that the Tory MEPs will vote separately from the EPP on constitutional and institutional issues.
"We have secured the right formally to promote and develop our own vision of Europe from within the EPP and to have that respected and recognised by the group as a whole," Mr Howard said.
The EPP supports a constitution for Europe, a single currency and is generally supportive of the union, but that manifesto is not binding on the Tories.
"British Conservatives are committed to an enlarged, flexible, outward-looking and competitive Europe," Mr Howard said. "We oppose plans for deeper integration as set out in the draft constitution."
The leader of the British Labour group in the parliament, Mr Gary Titley, accused Mr Howard of trying to hide his differences with the EPP.
"The Tories can find no allies in Europe and so are being forced to live out the lie they have something in common with the centre-right federalists of the EPP," he said.
At a group meeting of EPP MEPs earlier this week, the dominant view was that breaking the link would only benefit the socialists, one insider said. They will vote today to prolong the alliance for another five years after June's parliamentary elections.
The EPP is the biggest group in the 626-strong parliament, with 232 MEPs. The group includes four Fine Gael members, plus Ms Dana Rosemary Scallon.