Patten to Lead British EU Constitution Campaign

Chris Patten, the outgoing UK Commissioner for External Relations has joined the board of "Britain in Europe" -- fuelling speculation that he could lead the "Yes" campaign in the British referendum on the EU constitution. Patten will come under pressure to take over the chairmanship of the "Britain in Europe" group after the next general election, when the current chairman stands down, according to the Financial Times. Britain in Europe is the pro-European campaign in the UK, launched by Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Ken Clarke, Michael Heseltine and Charles Kennedy in 1999. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to delay a British referendum on the constitution until after the next elections, which could take place as late as spring 2006, but will probably occur in 2005. (EUobserver.com)