Euro defeat wouldn't sink Blair, says adviser

If Tony Blair was defeated in a euro referendum it would not bring the British government down, a former Downing Street adviser claimed today.

“It would help him more than if he wins it,” said Jon Cruddas, now Labour MP for Dagenham.

Mr Cruddas, interviewed on the ePolitix website, said he believed there would be a referendum this year and that the government would win it, even though he would be a “no” voter.

Mr Cruddas said that a defeat for the British prime minister would not lead to a collapse of the UK government.

"If the Prime Minister calls a referendum and he loses, because I am sceptical, I think it would help him more than if he wins it. If he loses, it will help his domestic strategy of delivering on the agenda he was elected on," he said.