Blair keen to secure his 'red lines' before EU summit meeting

Tony Blair will attempt today to secure Britain's "red lines" on the European constitution agreement in a last-ditch effort to reach a consensus before the end of the month.

Tony Blair will attempt today to secure Britain's "red lines" on the European constitution agreement in a last-ditch effort to reach a consensus before the end of the month.

Mr Blair will hold his final talks with the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, in London before European leaders discuss a final draft of the constitution at the Brussels summit later this month to mark the end of the Irish EU presidency.

The breakfast meeting between the two leaders comes at the end of Mr Ahern's diplomatic tour of European capitals to thrash out a final draft of the constitution acceptable to the heads-of-government summit.

Yesterday, Downing Street insisted that they still believed a deal was possible at the June summit. Britain is keen to negotiate while the Irish hold the EU presidency.

The Dutch, who take over the presidency in July, have warned Britain that it will have to compromise on its demands if a new treaty is to be agreed. Mr Blair will use his U-turn on the decision to hold a referendum on the constitution to defend the red-line issues of tax, social security and foreign policy. He will tell Mr Ahern that if he surrenders ground, he will not be able to secure a "yes" vote.

Mr Blair will also hold his first talks with the new Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero since he took power earlier this year. Mr Blair is expected to discuss the forthcoming summit and the situation in Iraq. Mr Blair is likely to stress Britain's close ties with Spain in an attempt to rebuild bridges after discomfort over the Spanish socialists' decision to withdraw forces from Iraq after their unexpected election victory in March.

Labour and the Conservatives traded blows over Europe for a second day running after Michael Howard, the Tory leader, accused the Government of planning to abandon Britain's seat on the UN Security Council and accept closer co-ordination of fiscal and social policy.

Mr Howard argued that a European socialist parties platform for next week's elections, signed by Denis MacShane, the Minister for Europe, was proof of Labour's "secret agenda" for European integration.

He said: "I have a few simple questions for Mr Blair, did you know your European minister had signed it? Have you read it? And do you support it? My message to the British people is simple. No secret deals, no secret memos, no secret agenda. Britain will stay an independent sovereign nation, and we will build a modern Europe."

But ministers rounded on Mr Howard, accusing him of "near panic and chaos" over Europe, and claiming the Tory party was deeply split.

In a letter to Mr Howard, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said a series of leading Conservative MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates had advocated withdrawal from the EU.

He wrote: "Some might suggest that your own deeply hostile views towards the EU have played a part in encouraging these views. The chaos which has once again engulfed your party on Europe is the price you are paying for doing so."