TONY Blair has agreed in principle to the new European constitution, which involves grave and significant issues that will affect democracy in the UK.

Some of the proposals include:

- European Laws that will have constitutional primacy over our own national law

- A Europe-wide prosecutor, with powers over our criminal law

- a European president and foreign minister

- European control over areas of policy including immigration and asylum.

Powers on this scale should not be given away without the consent of the British people. If a referendum is good enough for the people of Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Denmark, then it should be good enough for Britain.

People of all different political persuasions in Yorkshire are united in believing that we should be allowed to have a say as to whether or not we should approve this constitution.

I urge all readers who believe in democracy, irrespective of party loyalty, to write to York MP Hugh Bayley at the House of Commons, asking him why his leader does not trust the people of York on this issue and to demand a referendum.

Nigel Adams,

Deputy regional chairman,

Conservative Party,

Melgate House, Slingsby, York.

Updated: 10:14 Tuesday, December 02, 2003