Blair told me to ‘consider my position’ in storm over euro

TONY Blair told Gordon Brown to consider his position after he refused to agree to Britain joining the euro.

Mr Brown says in his autobiography there was a ‘furious shouting match’ between the pair in April 2003 over a Treasury economic assessment that concluded it would be wrong for the UK to ditch the pound.

The former chancellor concludes the issue damaged ‘almost irreparably’ their relationship. But he insists he was ‘not prepared to give way on a decision that could inflict damage on the British economy’.

‘In my view, you are in office to do a job, not to hold on to a job,’ he writes. And he suggests that his view on the euro – that it could lead to a ‘low growth, high unemployment economy’ – has been vindicated.

The Treasury analysis, he says, has ‘stood the test of time’. Mr Brown drew up the five economic tests of whether it was in our interests to join the euro, which launched in 1999. But after Mr Blair was informed of the results of the analysis he erupted.

‘It was in the tense exchange immediately afterwards when Tony said that, if I would not agree to join, I would have to consider my position. “I’ll do just that”, I replied.’