Patten hits out at Blair's referendum decision

EU Commissioner Chris Patten today hit out at Prime Minister Tony Blair for calling a referendum in Britain on the planned European constitution.

Mr Patten, Commissioner for External Affairs and mentioned last week as a possible president of the European Commission, called the decision a “serious threat” to parliamentary democracy.

The ex-Tory chairman told reporters at Westminster that Mr Blair had decided to hold a referendum “which I deplore”.

He went on: “Referenda are a serious threat to this place (parliament) and the sovereignty of our parliament.

“They produce tabloid politics and they are opted for by prime ministers not to open up debate but as a way of closing down debate.

“My other worry about this referendum is this is going to produce a further 'Ulsterisation' of British politics. ‘Britain says no’ – but says no to what?”

Mr Blair has promised to hold a referendum on the EU constitutional treaty he signed on Friday night after marathon talks in Brussels, marked by deteriorating relations with French president Jacques Chirac.

Asked how bad relations between the two leaders had become, Mr Patten replied: “They are grown up. They have got to make the relationship work."

He also attacked the British Chancellor Gordon Brown for making speeches lauding Britain’s economy at the expense of the rest of Europe’s, making it sound like the only reasonable response was to “send food parcels” or “pass the tin round”.