Tories sign pro-euro declaration

THE CONSERVATIVE Party has signed up to a joint statement with other European centre-right parties, which says that a successful single currency will be in Britain's interests.

The document is at odds with William Hague's increasingly hostile opposition to the euro and will embarrass the Tories in the run-up to the European Parliament elections on 10 June. Last night, Mr Hague challenged Tony Blair to a televised debate on Europe.

The Tories' manifesto warns that membership of the single currency would involve "huge risks." Mr Hague has taken comfort from the 9 per cent fall in the euro's value since its January launch.

But a "common statement" by the European Democratic Union, drawn up by a committee chaired by Michael Howard, the Eurosceptic shadow Foreign Secretary, takes a markedly different line. The document, which has been obtained by The Independent, says: "We believe a successful single currency is in the interests of all the countries of Europe - those alongside it as well as those inside."

The language is remarkably similar to the manifesto adopted by EU socialist parties, including Labour, which says: "It is in the interests of all member states, whether members of the single currency or not, that the euro is a success."

The European Democratic Union includes the Conservative Party, the German Christian Democrats and French Gaullists.

Yesterday the Tories denied the joint statement contradicted their official policy of opposing membership of the single currency in this Parliament and the next. Mr Howard said: "Although we agreed with that [European Democratic Union] document and don't resile from anything in it, we have put our own Conservative Party manifesto to the British people in these elections for British members of the European Parliament.

"It is not a question of tailoring the message differently. There are areas where we can work in common with other centre-right parties in the European Parliament...In addition, there are issues which affect the interests of the British people which we put before the British electorate. We don't expect the other centre-right parties to sign up to that."

Mr Howard said the "key difference" was that Labour had adopted the entire programme drawn by the Party of European Socialists and was the first British political party not to issue its own manifesto.