Brown returns to fray with EU blast

Gordon Brown today returned to the political arena with a far-reaching attack on the failures of the European Union.

The Chancellor, back from paternity leave, headed for talks with fellow EU finance ministers in Brussels with an uncompromising message.

Aides said he would warn that the planned EU constitution is too vague, that the rules are too rigid, and that the penalty will be lost prosperity and lost jobs.

Mr Brown was flying to Brussels directly from Scotland where he has been with his wife, Sarah, since the birth of their son John on 17 October.

His last move just before the break was to deliver a similar warning over the draft constitution, which he described as "Europe's most significant political change for decades".

In an article for the Wall Street Journal, Mr Brown said it was essential to avoid a fudge over the way Europe is run which would be "to the detriment of jobs and economic dynamism".

The Chancellor's insistent return to the theme today threatens to reopen the gap over Europe between him and Tony Blair. While both agree, formally, that reform of the EU's increasingly creaky machinery is vital, Mr Brown's tone has been notably more negative than the Prime Minister's.

There was new ammunition for the Chancellor in today's meeting as the EU's two most powerful members, France and Germany, again side-stepped the rules supposed to control their budget deficits.

Ministers were looking at the renewed failure of the so-called stability pact to enforce discipline on the major EU economies. But Mr Brown was set to call for a much wider look at the failures and potential failures in the way the organisation is governed.

The key demand from Mr Brown is for amendments to the draft constitution to make clear who is in ultimate charge. That would demonstrate that the final say rests with the Council of Ministers, representing each member nation, rather than the EU Parliament. It would insist that decisions about the way the EU is financed must be subject to a unanimous vote.

The Tories are likely to seize on the continued concern as evidence that the constitution is fundamental to the future of the EU and, therefore of Britain, and renew their calls for a nationwide referendum.