Brown Laughs Off Eu 'snub' As Leaders Gather in Lisbon

Gordon Brown today laughed off his perceived snub to Europe over his unique arrangement for signing the controversial EU Reform Treaty.

In what is being seen as a sign of Britain's half-hearted committed to Europe, the prime minister plans to sign the treaty hours after the other 26 heads of EU member states.

As all the other European heads of state gathered in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, Brown appeared this morning before the Commons liaison committee.

He opened with a joking reference to his plan to miss the signing ceremony and the EU heads of state family photo, so that he could appear before the committee.

"I think you can see the priority I attach to attending this committee," he said.

His planned late arrival prompted a charge of "gutlessness" from the Conservatives, who accused him of turning the event into a "national embarrassment".

"What will other EU leaders think of a prime minister who dithers for a week about whether he dares be photographed putting pen to paper?" asked the shadow foreign secretary, William Hague.

"Does he think that other European prime ministers don't have diary commitments, too? Instead of leadership we have indecision, gutlessness and broken election promises. Britain deserves better."

The Lisbon Treaty, a historic compromise deal, comes after two years of debate among European leaders about how much sovereignty they should surrender to a centralized administration.

It replaced the failed European Constitution, which was scuppered when referendums in France and the Netherlands voted "no".

The treaty has reignited demands by eurosceptics in Britain for a referendum. Yesterday in Strasbourg, British Conservative and UK Independence MEPs were accused of behaving like football hooligans for heckling leaders who support the treaty.

EU leaders claim the new document will help boost the union's international influence and prosperity by allowing it to respond quickly to global challenges such as defense, energy security and diplomatic crises.

Governments are mindful of claims that they dare not put the treaty to a popular vote over fears that a majority would reject it.

Only one country - Ireland - plans a referendum. The 26 others say they will ratify the document within the individual parliaments.

The signing ceremony at an ornate 16th-century riverside monastery includes speeches and music but no news conference.

Brown will not be present for the televised ceremony, but Downing St stressed that cameras would be present when he signs.

The treaty scraps the system under which the union's presidency rotates among member states every six months. Instead, a president chosen by member states will serve a two-and-a-half-year term.

The treaty also alters voting procedures, cuts the number of commissioners, and establishes a new high representative for foreign policy.

In an interview with The Times last night, Brown also dismissed the "fuss" over his late arrival, denying that it made him look "marginal" or that it was designed to avoid bad publicity.

He also insisted that the treaty should mark the end of the EU's focus on "semi-constitutions", and it was now time for the body to show "global leadership" on the economy, trade and climate change.

"What I'm going to say to Europe is stop looking inwards, stop looking at constitutions or semi-constitutions or institutions for a long time ahead and for the foreseeable future concentrate on the big issues ahead of us," Brown said.

"What I'm going to do is call for Europe to show some global leadership."