Britain is unlikely to hold a referendum on the European constitution as planned next year if the polls in France are right and the country rejects the constitution in its referendum on May 29, government sources admitted Sunday.
The news may throw the combustible issue of Europe on to the election agenda. It is the first time Labour has entertained the prospect of shelving the referendum.
The Tories responded by promising to hold a referendum within six months of a general election -- even if France rejects the treaty.
The shift became apparent when British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw admitted for the first time he did not know if a referendum would go ahead in Britain if there was a no vote in France. Sources at the prime minister's office said: "If there is no constitution on which to hold a referendum, there will be no referendum."
Straw said a rejection by France would have to be put to a meeting of EU heads of state. He said he could not predict what would happen. Asked on ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby program if the UK referendum would go ahead, Straw said: "It all depends ... I've no idea what is going to happen."
Previously, the government had been adamant that Britain would hold a referendum even if other countries voted no, a point reiterated by Prime Minister Tony Blair at the launch of his Labour Party manifesto last week.
A "yes" vote in Britain in autumn next year had been seen by some as an opportunity for Blair to stand aside for Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, with an assured legacy as the man who reconciled Britain to Europe. The loss of such a date in the third-term calendar raises fresh questions over when Blair might stand aside.
A no vote in France would also put pressure on Blair to find acceptable minimalist reforms or see the EU evolve into a diffuse multi-speed bloc.
Straw said on Sunday: "Each country is under a separate commitment to put the constitution to a referendum or get it formally ratified by its parliament. Quite separately, if any country votes no, it will go before the European council, the summit, and I can't say what decision will be made."
Private briefings from ministers confirmed there would be a "long pause" as Europe, largely under a British presidency, considered the crisis.
One said: "If Britain alone votes `no,' it is a problem for Britain. If France votes `no,' it is a problem for Europe. We would wait to see what the French had to say, but it is inconceivable that the constitution could go ahead."
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