Blair: Britian's right to control its own borders is his "bottom line"

Britain's future lies in Europe

Blair Holds Firm On Border Control

Emerging from talks with French President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tony Blair appeared to have secured only lukewarm support for his insistence that Britain retain control of its borders.

The Prime Minister has made the right for Britain to keep control of its borders his "bottom line" in the talks leading up to next week's crucial Euro summit in Amsterdam.

Despite the tough stance the Prime Minister made it plain that although he was making a stand on the issue of border controls, he wanted Britain to play a leading role in Europe and was not seeking confrontation with his EU partners.

Blair and Chirac: co-operation not confrontation

"Britain is going to play a constructive and leading part in Europe", he said. "And, of course, it means that when there are vital and true national interests like protecting our asylum and immigration policies and frontier controls, we will protect those interests in exactly the same way that France will protect its interests where its interests are engaged, and Germany likewise. What we won't do is end up having rows for the sake of it. We want a constructive relationship in Europe."

So far Britain has merely been offered the right to opt out of the proposed European common borders policy, but Mr Blair believes this would leave Britain's right to determine its own frontiers open to challenge in the European Court.

He is determined that Britain's right to control its own borders be explicitly enshrined in law in the treaty to be signed at Amsterdam. And he has urged his case at meetings with a series of European leaders in advance of the summit.