Evaluating the success of the labour government's European policy

This article will evaluate the Labour Government's European policy in relation to its stated objectives. It will focus on the British Government's negotiation and ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty and UK policy on Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The article will identify how the Blair Government's European policy has been influenced by Britain's exclusion from the single European currency. I will argue that although the Labour Government has successfully normalized the UK's relations with other EU states, Britain has not succeeded in achieving a leading role in the EU.