Britain: British prime minister Tony Blair is making no presumption about a French 'Non' to the European constitution, and will make no decisions about the promised British referendum until after the French result is declared on Sunday.
This was made clear by Downing Street after a cabinet discussion about Europe "touched on" the possible implications of a French No vote.
The prime minister's official spokesman said they understood the French opinion polls had been consistently negative, while allowing they could be proved wrong, and maintained Mr Blair had made no working assumption about the outcome.
Confirming that the votes in France and the Netherlands had been discussed, the spokesman said: "There was an overall discussion on Europe which obviously touched on the possible implications of the referendum results." It is openly acknowledged in Whitehall that the British government, like the governments throughout the EU, simply cannot know the possible consequences of a French No vote until such a result is declared and President Chirac has responded ahead of a meeting of the European Council.
Some commentators believe a French No would be greeted with a collective sigh of relief from British ministers, and that such an outcome would let Mr Blair "off the hook" of his commitment to hold a British referendum.
However, the prime minister has consistently argued that the treaty is good for Britain and the enlarged European Union. And in a public show of intent this week his government published the Parliamentary Bill to effect the constitution and make the necessary provision for a British vote early next year.
Senior Labour figures favouring Mr Blair's early departure from Number 10 in favour of a Gordon Brown succession believe the chancellor would prefer Mr Blair to take the lead in any British referendum, and that the outcome - whether or not successful - would mark an appropriate point for Mr Blair to hand over the reins of power.
However, the same received wisdom suggests a prime minister Brown would not want to be consumed by an ongoing European crisis, and that a British Yes vote - assuming the constitution survives - would also be in his interest. The worry now being expressed by some pro-Europeans is that a British Yes might be impossible to achieve unless Mr Blair sets a prior timetable for his departure.
Such speculation receives short shrift inside Number 10, where Mr Blair's declared intention remains to serve a full third term in office. And last night the prime minister was already looking ahead to Britain's EU presidency. Attacking the "unnecessary interference" of the EU in business and the lives of individuals, Mr Blair promised that curbing EU red tape would be "a central theme" of the British presidency which starts in July.