British opposition to euro rises, says poll

OPPOSITION in Britain to ditching the pound in favour of the euro has risen despite the growing number of Britons who have now used euro notes and coins while travelling abroad, a new survey showed yesterday.

The regular poll, carried out on behalf of investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston, found 55% did not think it would be a good idea for Britain to join the euro in the next two or three years. That was up from 50% opposition in March and 46% in January.

Support for joining the euro fell to 35% in July, compared with 38% in March and 42% in January, CSFB said. The remainder were "don't knows".

Britain, along with Sweden and Denmark opted out of joining the European Monetary Union, although Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he wants Britain to join at some stage, provided the economic conditions are right.

Pro-euro campaigners had hoped that using euros on holiday would help familiarise Britons with the single currency, highlight its benefits and swing public opinion in favour.

The CSFB survey showed that the proportion who had used euro notes and coins had risen to 35%, from just 16% in March and 7% in January.

"A further increase in use over the summer might be associated with an increase in support, but that's not been the pattern so far," said Robert Barrie, CSFB's chief UK economist.

The survey of 1,000 people carried out by market research firm Martin Hamblin GfK agreed with other polls which indicate that opposition to the euro remains strong in the UK.

The poll's release coincided with the publication of two government leaflets exalting the benefits available to Britons within the EU including free emergency health care and helping them to use the euro on holiday.

The leaflets called 'Travelling and Living in the European Union' and 'Euro Notes and Coins' were produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Blair has promised to hold a referendum on euro membership if the government's five tests on the economic case for joining are met. An assessment of the tests is due by next June.

Anti-euro campaigners said the leaflets were government propaganda aimed at convincing sceptical Britons to ditch the pound.

But a foreign office spokesman said the leaflets were purely a public information tool.

"Some 14 million trips will be made to the EU this summer and for a lot of those people, they will be using the euro for the first time," he said. "It's not propaganda. It's nothing to do with the political situation."