French cast new doubt on fiscal treaty

The future of the fiscal treaty was uncertain last night as the French congress will not pass it, and the man tipped to become the next president of France has vowed to renegotiate it.

This casts doubt on the issue of if and when there will be a referendum in Ireland on the hotly-disputed treaty.

Françoise Hollande, favourite to take over the French presidency from Nicolas Sarkozy, will tell Socialists in Paris today that the fiscal pact in its current form is dead.