MP DAVID Chaytor has praised Tony Blair's decision to call a referendum on a new European constitution.

He said it was a high-risk strategy, but was confident that Britons will vote in favour once the matter is given a proper debate.

"I'm a great fan of referenda," he said, "although I don't think the constitution is as significant as a decision to join the EU or the single currency where a referendum would be required.

"Tony Blair has made absolutely the right decision and seized the initiative. This will enable him to flush out a lot of the anti-Europe myths and misinformation peddled by right-wing politicians and tabloid newspapers."

The Labour backbencher added: "People would probably vote against it if the vote was tomorrow, but I am confident that once the public understand what's involved they will support it. In a union of 25 countries, you've got to have a set of rules by which it's governed, and they have to be different rules than when it was a union of six countries."

Mr Chaytor said that, despite the U-turn, Tony Blair was not completely opposed to referenda: he had offered ones on Scottish and Welsh home rule, on elected mayors and on regional government, with this one to come and a further one on the euro.

EURO MP Gary Titley said the referendum would be a golden opportunity to defeat the anti-Europeans.

The Radcliffe-based MEP accused the Tories of spreading "scares and falsehoods" about the constitution, saying that what they really wanted was to take Britain out of the EU. On that choice, he predicted, they would lose.