Major to try Maastricht rescue bid

interview in the Scotsman today, said: ''I have taken a judgment that it

is in our national interest to implement the treaty in that there are

positive advantages for the United Kingdom in doing so. And equally

there would be positive disadvantages in sidelining ourselves in Europe.

So we are taking that through. Nobody doubts that has its difficulties,

but we are doing that.''

The Prime Minister went on: ''We should co-operate more within the

European Community. That is why I regret so much that the Labour and

Liberal Parties, despite all they say, seem to be delaying a Bill that

is in the national interest of this country. Everyone knows they are

playing party politics.''

THE Government is mounting a rescue operation for its crucial

Maastricht Bill, and it is timed for the Budget statement next week.

Last night at the Commons, the Tory whips were gearing up for a candid

statement by the Prime Minister on how he sees the realities of

Britain's future in the European Community.

Tories on both sides -- opponents of Maastricht and supporters of the

Government -- need a declaration soon from Mr Major about the Bill and

how he sees Britain's attitudes to re-entry into the European exchange

rate mechanism (ERM) and the possibilities of a single currency for the

EC.

The Maastricht Bill comes up again for debate today. For the last

fortnight, the Government has been unwilling to confront the Commons

with votes that they might lose.

This attitude is now likely to change once the Prime Minister has got

the Budget statement out of the way on March 16. The Tory rebels in the

Commons are looking for a compromise because they are dismayed at the

disarray they have created in the Government's legislative programme.

The Tory rebels now expect the Prime Minister to take an opportunity

to address the Commons candidly about his view concerning the

possibilities of sterling's re-entry into the ERM and, more importantly,

the possibilities of an EC single currency.

Last night at the Commons, the Tory rebels were shaping up to accept a

clear public statement from the Prime Minister on these issues which

they expect him to make after Chancellor Norman Lamont has produced his

Budget statement.

The pro-European Tories would welcome this kind of personal statement

by the Prime Minister in the Commons. Without it they feel the

Maastricht Treaty Ratification Bill will run on through the summer and

continue to hamstring the legislative programme.

Both sides of the Tory argument last night were agreed that the Prime

Minister is required to make a statement to the Commons which will

publicly underwrite what he has been saying in private for several

months -- there is no chance of Britain going back into the ERM and that

as long as he is Prime Minister his Government will not agree to a

single currency and a central bank for the European Community.

If Mr Major can state this categorically after the Budget, the Tory

arguments for a referendum on Maastricht will subside. All Tories at the

Commons are concerned that the Labour Party has been able to call the

initiative in the Maastricht Treaty debate exposing splits on the Tory

side and covering up the splits on the Labour side.

Tories are looking to the Government to start regaining control of

Commons debating time. The Tory back benchers gather tonight at their

weekly meeting in the knowledge that the Cabinet campaign for loyalty

last weekend has flopped.

On Monday night, the Government was defeated on an amendment to the

Treaty Bill concerning whether candidates should be elected to the EC

committee of the regions. The Government lost this heavily and failed to

promote another vote to continue the confederation of the Treaty Bill.

Yesterday it was emerging that the Prime Minister, and his supporters

within the party, will not put up with this kind of limp-wristed

strategy. The Tories are now looking for a lead from the Prime Minister

tonight or, more likely, after the Chancellor has made his Budget

statement next week.

Labour said yesterday that it had identified five further issues on

which it could defeat the Government on the Bill,