I understand why the Tories will be gunning for Alastair Campbell because they fear his campaigning skills.

I think Europe is going in the right direction and we shouldn't be set back.

I hesitated, too, because for better or worse, I have been one of the principal architects of New Labour and I have worked closely with Tony Blair and the team for nearly 20 years.

I have moved on from being a British parliamentarian, I have moved on from being a New Labour politician, I have moved on from being the supporter in the active day-to-day sense of Tony Blair.

I do not share the half-in, half-out attitude to the EU of some in Britain. Britain's place is in Europe.

I believe that if you treat China as an enemy, then it is likely to become one.

I certainly believe that we gain through open trade and liberalisation.

For too long, decisions have been taken behind closed doors - tablets of stone have simply been past down to people without bothering to involve people, listen to their views or give them information about what we are doing and why.

Firstly, people take for granted that the E.U. has created the biggest economic space in the world.

Europe has to address people's needs directly and reflect their priorities, not our own preoccupations.

I'm optimistic that we are actually seeing the opportunity of a generation being created in this.

Essentially we need a new social consensus for economic reform as New Labour has achieved in Britain.

We've got to demonstrate why European unity and integration, our vast single market, our single currency, equip us with the strength to embrace globalization.

If the constitutional treaty is rejected it will be back to square one, just at a time when we want Europe to be a more effective force for good in the world, when we need to buttress ourselves against the pressures and insecurities of globalization.

Having viewed Europe as an extension and projection of itself, France now finds Europe developing a mind and identity of its own which embraces France but is not controlled by France.