UK and euro - Political debate Turmoil in Europe may hit Blair's euro plans Tony Blair is viewing political turmoil in continental Europe with increasing concern, fearing it could set back economic reform and undermine the case for a referendum on British membership of the euro. |  Read Choice of Bank chief enmeshed with euro assessment The decision on the Bank of England governorship will depend, in part, on the decision on the euro, and to an extent the reverse is also true. |  Read George explains reasons for delay on euro Concerns about monetary policy and the need for economic reform in the European Union lie behind Britain's hesitancy about joining the euro, Sir Edward George said as controversy broke out over the entry rate at which sterling would join. |  Read Markets see euro entry by 2005 as an even bet Financial markets are pricing in a roughly 50 per cent chance that Britain will join the euro during the current parliament, according to calculations by HSBC bank. |  Read Brown's team plots course for eurozone Gordon Brown does not like to advertise it, but behind the scenes at the Treasury, work on deciding whether the UK should join the euro is well under way. Although he might like to delay a formal assessment of the tests for as long as possible, insiders say Mr Brown wants the work done in time for next year's Budget, ahead of the June 2003 deadline he has publicly set for answering them. |  Read Blair urged to bring in paving bill for euro poll Tony Blair is being urged by pro-euro ministers to include a paving bill for a referendum in this autumn's Queen's Speech without specifying the date on which the poll would be held. |  Read Labour MPs more divided than Tories over euro Labour MPs are more divided over the euro than the Conservatives, a poll suggested as pro-single currency campaigners stepped up efforts to win business support for joining. |  Read Hain says UK's euro policy has not changed Peter Hain, the UK's minister for Europe, said his comments this week in favour of the euro did not contradict the government's policy, under which any decision on joining the euro would be made on economic - not political - grounds. |  Read Ministers should set EU agenda, says Straw Britain will set out sweeping proposals for a European Union dominated by ministers from member states rather than officials. |  Read Mood swings against euro Wim Duisenberg's departure will come too late to have a big impact on Britain's debate on joining the euro, which showed signs of swinging against Britain's entry. |  Read Labour minister in shift to pro-euro stance One of the government's leading sceptics on the euro is to come out in support of British membership of the single currency. The quiet conversion of Margaret Beckett, the rural affairs secretary shows the balance of opinion among senior ministers is shifting in the run-up to a potential euro referendum. |  Read Voters 'will back euro' if economic tests passed Tony Blair would win a euro referendum just by saying that Britain had passed the five economic tests for joining, according to a poll published on Wednesday. The survey found that 28 per cent of those asked said they would be swayed by the Treasury's tests giving a slim majority in favour. |  Read Britain 'cannot stay out of euro forever' Britain cannot stay outside the eurozone forever because it risks being isolated from a successful single currency, the country's minister for Europe said. |  Read Sterling may not have to join ERM for euro-entry Brussels has smoothed the path to British entry to the euro, by suggesting that sterling might not have to first rejoin the Exchange Rate Mechanism for two years. The government said it was the first time it had heard a commissioner say in public that the strict rules for euro entry set in the Maastricht treaty might not apply to Britain. |  Read