FORMER Ribble Valley MP David Waddington has launched a fierce attack against the "enormous dangers" of the new European Constitution.

He told the House of Lords that the British people must vote against the new document to protect British sovereignty.

He said the European Court would interpret the Constitution to increase the progressive "Euro Creep" which was reducing the powers of Parliament to run the country. Lord Waddington said people would be "foolish" to rely on any changes that Prime Minister Tony Blair was promising would protect Britain from the powers of Brussels.

He said: "We are told that Mr Blair is thinking of negotiating changes to the text of the European Constitution that would limit the role of the European Court of Justice.

"But we would be foolish to rely on changes if any are made.

"The interpretation will be not in our hands but in those of the court. Instead we should recognise the obvious: accepting a constitution brings enormous dangers against which no wording is likely to give us full protection."

He ridiculed claims by Mr Blair and Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw that Britain had set "red lines" on key issues like tax, defence, foreign policy and social security which the constitution could not override.