Labour politicians and union leaders called on British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair today to take a positive step on joining the euro and call a referendum on the issue during the current parliament.
Speaking at a meeting at the Labour Party spring conference in Cardiff, Mr Ken Jackson, general secretary of one of Britain's largest private sector unions, Amicus, said millions of British jobs would be at risk if those who opposed the euro won out.
Mr Jackson slammed the hysteria of anti-Europeans in Britain, urging the government and business leaders to fight back.
"The British people need the chance to make their choice. In a referendum. In this parliament," he said.
He was backed by Mr Simon Murphy, Britain's Labour leader in the European Parliament, who said the vast majority of Britons now believe the euro will inevitably replace the pound at some point in the future.
Recent opinion polls suggest long-standing British hostility to the euro is beginning to soften. Pro- and anti-euro camps are now almost evenly supported -- a marked change from much of last year when opposition to the single currency was running at around 70 per cent.
