All British embassies face closure

Britain, along with other EU countries, will close all its 153 embassies around the world under the new EU constitution, Spain's prime minister has predicted.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero revealed the radical move ahead of his country's referendum on the new EU constitution at the weekend.

Speaking about the federal ambitions, which will lead to a single European foreign service, he said: "We will undoubtedly see European embassies with a European foreign service." He said that approving the Constitution - Spain is the first country to hold a referendum - would lend credibility to a common European policy.

"We will have a single European voice within Nato." His comments will fuel fears that the Government will have to follow the European line even if it disagrees with Germany or France as it did over Iraq.

Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said : "Spain's prime minister has made clear what Tony Blair has denied - that the EU constitution is all about handing vast new powers to Brussels."

The Foreign Office said: " Britain will keep its embassies and its foreign policy. That cannot change without our agreement."