British euro poll decision in June

THE British Government will decide on June 9 if it is to hold a referendum to scrap sterling and adopt the euro.

The move to name the decision day by the prime minister’s office was precipitated by a BBC report that Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have concluded that Britain does not meet five economic tests before it adopts the euro.

However, the final decision will be made by the full cabinet, Mr Blair’s spokesman Tom Kelly said, signalling that Mr Brown’s control of the process has been weakened.