The Prime Minister was accused of bringing in the controversial EU constitution by the back door by promising to spend the dying days of his premiership securing a deal.

A leaked letter from German Chancellor Angela Merkel further fuelled these fears by suggesting that "presentational changes" are simply made to the constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005 and that "different terminology" is used without changing "the legal substance".

The letter, which was sent to member states ahead of a June summit of EU leaders to agree the treaty, contains a number of questions. It adds:

"Every effort will have to be made to restrict changes to what is absolutely necessary to reach an overall agreement and ensure ratification."

Neil O'Brien, director of campaign group Open Europe, said: "This leak shows that we are going to have the exact same proposals pushed through under a different name, with a few "presentational changes".

'It's incredibly cynical, but the voters are not stupid and will not be fooled. Brown would be mad to go along with Blair's plan to take away our right to a vote.'

In an astonishing U-turn, Mr Blair has made clear the British people will not be given a referendum on the new "scaled down" version of the constitution.

The deal is due to be approved by June, only days before he is expected to quit Downing Street and make way for his successor - expected to be Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Following a public outcry over the constitution back in 2004, the Prime Minister promised that British voters would be given a say.

But Mr Blair yesterday insisted there was "no case" for a public vote on the new treaty - which agrees rules under which the 25 member states must operate.

Critics point out that it will also lead to a permanent EU president and foreign minister and it takes away Britain's veto on areas such as law and order.

In an interview with European newspapers, Mr Blair said: "If it is not a constitutional treaty so that it alters the basic relationship between Europe and the member states, then there isn't a case for a referendum."

The Prime Minister went on to admit that he would be pilloried for agreeing the new treaty and revealed that the plan has the backing of Mr Brown.

"We are going to get attacked whatever we do, but Europe needs to move forward," he added.

In June Germany, the current holder of the EU presidency, will present EU leaders with a roadmap for the adoption of a new constitutional treaty.

It has said it wants to preserve as much of the old constitution as possible and has support from 17 other states which have all ratified, or nearly ratified, the text.

But Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague pointed out that French and Dutch voters had rejected attempts to bring in the last EU constitution.

He said: "Tony Blair was previously committed to campaigning for the European constitution and to hold a referendum on it in the country.

"What he is saying now sounds suspiciously like an attempt to introduce elements of it by the back door, despite its decisive rejection by the voters of France and Holland.

"This would go against the Government's previous assurances and be totally unacceptable to the people of Britain. It is vital that any new treaty that transfers power from Britain to the EU should be subject to a referendum."

UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage also branded Mr Blair's comments "outrageous". He said: "I am not interested in what the new treaty is called, I am interested in what it does.

"The British people have not had a say on our position in the EU for 32 years, and we must have a referendum on any treaty which transfers power away from Westminster."

But Mr Blair said there was a need for a watered-down treaty after rejection of the old constitution.

He admitted that he would be accused of "selling out" and said that the dilemma for all British premiers was that they were accused on the EU of either "isolation or treason".

Tory MP Bill Cash, chairman of the European Foundation, said: "As a democratic country, it is essential that we put in place national referendums on the new treaty and all other existing treaties.

"To not do so is a gross injustice. It is undemocratic and treats the British people with contempt."

SECRET NEW PLAN FOR EU SUPERSTATE
Friday June 15, 2007
By Geoff Marsh for express.co.uk

TONY Blair wants to hand the European Union radical new powers in his last act as Prime Minister, it emerged today.

The Prime Minister has welcomed controversial plans to bring back the troubled EU constitution by the back door - totally bypassing the need for public referendums on sweeping new powers for Brussels.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested ditching the name "constitution" from the title and instead calling it an "amending treaty" - to avoid having to seek the approval of voters.

French and Dutch voters rejected the original plan - which would hand Brussels the power to represent individual countries at the UN and change national laws - two years ago. Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague

Britain's voting rights would be reduced by a third under the scheme and our hard-won veto on European directives would be torn up. Britain could also lose the right to impose quotas on immigration.

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "If Tony Blair thinks he can hoodwink the British people by smuggling in the rejected EU consitution under another name, he had better think again.

EU SUPERSTATE: 80% OF US WANT REFERENDUM
By Macer Hall, Political Editor
Wednesday June 20,2007


EU flag: The future for Britain?

FOUR out of five Britons want a referendum if Tony Blair agrees to a controversial new European Union treaty.

An opinion poll by ICM Research found that 80 per cent of voters want a say about Britain's future in Europe, and only 15 per cent disagree.

Nearly two thirds are against the plan for a new President of Europe, a post that outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair has been tipped for.

The survey was published last night, as Mr Blair prepared to fly to Brussels tomorrow for his final European Union summit. The gathering of European leaders will be dominated by the treaty plan, designed to replace the failed EU constitution.

It's findings will intensify pressure on the Government to hold a nationwide vote if he does agree to the proposed new treaty, which will hand many more decision-making powers to EU chiefs.

Mr Blair is at loggerheads with his successor, Chancellor Gordon Brown, over the treaty. The Prime Minister has ruled out a referendum but the Chancellor has indicated that a vote might be held after his takeover in Downing Street next week.

In an indication of the increasingly ­chaotic negotiations, the pair were kept in separate rooms during a phone conference call with French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday about the treaty proposals.

Officials confirmed that Mr Blair and Mr Brown remained in different offices during the call from Paris, Mr Blair's spokesman blaming equipment problems.

But the pair were given a stark warning, in the ICM poll, of public hostility towards the proposed treaty, commissioned by the Eurosceptic foreign-affairs think tank Global Vision.

The poll showed that 58 per cent of Britons are opposed to one of the main provisions of the treaty, the pledge to introduce a permanent EU president.

A total of 34 per cent supported the idea.

Global Vision director Ruth Lea said: "Tony Blair promised the British people a referendum on the original Constitution and neither he nor Gordon Brown should renege on this promise."

Earlier proposals for an EU constitution were ditched, after rejection in referendums in France and Holland. But supporters, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the sixth-month EU presidency, still want some form of agreement to streamline the workings of the 27-nation union.

Critics claim the proposed treaty is essentially a new version of the constitution. Possible changes to the EU voting system could mean British objections to law changes being overruled. Mr Blair's spokesman said yesterday: "We do not believe a referendum will be necessary."

But Mr Brown said he would not hesitate to order a referendum "if it were necessary".

He added: "I suspect that the best deal for Britain will be one where we will get what we want at this summit."

Last night, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso appeared to warn Mr Blair not to block the treaty. He said: "Of course all member states have the same right to put their objections and problems. But please avoid appearing as blocking. This is not intelligent. This is not in your interest."