Britain back from brink in voting row

BRITAIN yesterday signalled a climbdown in the European voting row. Though a final deal still requires hard negotiations, the Government has apparently stepped back from the brink of confrontation.

The move, certain to enrage John Major's Tory critics, came on a day when Michael Heseltine boosted his leadership chances with a barnstorming speech at a party conference.

Mr Major, in his address to the Conservative Central Council in Plymouth, edged away from his earlier tough stance on voting rights in Europe. 'We are firmly a part of Europe and let us conduct the debate on that basis,' he said. But he insisted: 'We fight hard for our vision of Europe because we want to succeed. Being a good European doesn't mean you sign up to every dot and comma that our partners propose.'

The British shift on voting came at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Greece. British officials said a compromise proposal was on the table which conceded the main point at issue - that the number of votes required to block some EU legislation should rise to 27 from 23 with the entry of new members. This would be written into a treaty to seal EU enlargement.

In return, Britain is seeking safeguards that a combination of two big states and one small one would continue to be sufficient at least to delay legislation. It remains to be seen how far Britain's EU partners and the European parliament will go along.

The substance of an agreement would include a declaration or formal decision by EU governments. Officials said they wanted something the Prime Minister could commend to Parliament as giving full protection to British interests.

They admitted it was unlikely this would have legally- binding status in EU law. It was more important, they said, that it be completely accepted by all 12 states.

It is unlikely that the argument can be ended today in Greece and there could be a meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday in Brussels for more formal negotiations. A deal may be initialled in the next 10 days, clearing the way for EU enlargement to take place at the beginning of next year.

Mr Heseltine's performance yesterday in Plymouth, his first big conference set piece since his heart attack last year, set the seal on his comeback.

He struck a vivid contrast with Mr Major's famous speech of last year conjuring up images of warm beer and ladies cycling to church.

'The need to consolidate is a familiar cry,' Mr Heseltine said. 'It speaks of comfort, of balmy days of punts drifting in late summer along the backwaters of university cities. All of those respond to those feelings. And never more so than when a nation is emerging from the trials and strains of recession. But it will not do.'

He argued that 'change is gathering pace not slowing down' and recalled 'that most intoxicating of Tory battle cries, 'change is our ally' '.

Mr Heseltine praised the role of the European Community as the deliverer of post-war peace and said it was 'unthinkable that we should be anywhere but at the centre of decision-making that so affects our wealth, our jobs, our prosperity, our self-interest'.

(Photograph omitted)

Report and picture, page 2; Inside Story, page 17; Leading article, page 20