Mr Tony Blair was challenged to "come clean" about his attitude to joining the euro and scrapping the pound last night, after his Minister for Europe attacked "xenophobic" coverage in sections of the British press.
Mr Keith Vaz accused sections of the British press of misrepresentation by reporting fiction rather than fact. Trailing a pro-European speech to the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce, the minister told the BBC: "We should have a balanced debate about our membership of the EU. We should be putting the facts before the British people and that is not happening at the moment. That's what the people have been telling me. They want more information about our successes in the EU. Xenophobia is the conclusion that can generally be drawn."
Mr Vaz accused Mr Charles Moore, editor of the Daily Tele- graph, of "pumping up negative news and playing down the positive". Great newspapers ought to tell the truth and present the facts: "That's all we ask, a balanced, sensible debate."
Mr Vaz's intervention follows a leaked report earlier this week suggesting ministers will seek to lead the debate on Europe, and sell the potential benefits of membership of the single currency, in the run-up to the general election.
And the shadow Foreign Secretary, Mr Francis Maude, retorted that Mr Vaz's "whinge" about press coverage "shows that Labour will do anything to deflect attention from their true agenda to scrap the pound".
Mr Maude insisted "the benefits to Britain of its EU membership" were not in question, and maintained the Conservatives were leading the debate on behalf of a "mainstream majority", which wanted to be in Europe but retain sterling.
"All we get from Labour," he said, "is more rhetoric designed to conceal their true agenda - to scrap the pound and drag Britain into a single European superstate by stealth."
Labour laughed off the leak to the Conservatives of a party political broadcast, due to be shown next week in Scotland, attacking proposed Tory spending cuts. Labour pre-empted a planned Conservative showing of the broadcast, and said the Tories had scored an "own goal" by ensuring it received widespread publicity.
During a visit to Scotland to boost the government's anti-drugs crusade, the Prime Minister also shrugged off criticism by his father-in-law, the actor Tony Booth, of the government's policy on the state pension.
Mr Blair last night pronounced devolution a success after chairing a summit meeting of senior ministers from Scotland, Cardiff and Belfast.
Mr Blair was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott at the summit, also attended by Scotland's First Minister, Mr Donald Dewar, and his deputy, Mr Jim Wallace; Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and Finance Minister, Mr Mark Durkan; and Welsh First Secretary, Mr Rhodri Morgan.