LABOUR Party strategists are reported to want the issue of the single currency played down at the European elections in June - fearing that Tony Blair has gone too far beyond public opinion.

Both Labour and the Tories did their best to keep the lid on Europe in the General Election but now that Mr Blair has lit the touch paper over the Euro it can hardly be expected to be kept a damp-squib topic now.

William Hague, even with the risk of new civil war in his party over Europe, has nailed his colours to saying no to the Euro for 10 years and will find it hard to resist trying to make Mr Blair's drive towards it blow up in his face at the Euro polls.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.