Ecofin arrived at last today, and Chancellor Gordon Brown declared: "Thanks to the people of York, it is going to be a success."

In an exclusive message to the Evening Press, the Chancellor praised York's enthusiasm and thanked the city council and local community groups for supporting the prestigious Euro summit.

But the touchpaper of what promises to be three days of explosive debate on Europe was lit last night by the outspoken Tory peer, Lord Tebbit.

He hinted to the Evening Press that anyone who could remember the Second World War should realise that political union with Europe spelled disaster.

He was accused of "carping on the sidelines" by York's MP, Hugh Bayley.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that press and Internet facilities for the Ecofin conference are being provided by a leading Euro-sceptic, the Yorkshire multi-millionaire Paul Sykes.

The Government today denied that this amounted to an embarrassment for Britain, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU, and said it was "a simple, straightforward commercial contract for the supply of technical services".

Mr Sykes said it was purely a business deal and had nothing to do with his campaign, announced today, to persuade the British people to say 'No' to a single currency. As the finance ministers of 15 European Union countries and journalists from around the globe began arriving in York, Gordon Brown said York's big weekend would play a vital part of the UK Presidency of the EU.

He said: "The enthusiasm and support of the City of York will play a major part in its success. I am grateful to everyone involved for the wide range of activities that have been organised across the city.

"These will help to ensure that the local people, and particularly the business community, have a clear view of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and are fully prepared to benefit from them."

Last night, in a speech in York, Lord Tebbit compared the European single currency - which the Ecofin ministers will be discussing in the Assembly Rooms tomorrow - to the Titanic, and said there were no lifeboats on the "Euro-Titanic".

The peer, who sparked outrage at the Tory party conference last year when he warned against the spread of multi-culturalism, said: "We think the British people are sufficiently grown up to be able to govern themselves and that, on the whole, over the years, we have governed ourselves rather better than those people on the Continent.

"Those of us whose memories go back more than 50 years would certainly agree with that." But he said: "Why am I seen as anti-European? Is it anti-European to want to save Europe from the spectre of unemployment and economic distress?"

But York's Labour MP, Hugh Bayley, hit back, saying: "The world is changing. Britain slipped from 13th to 18th place in the world league of average incomes when Norman Tebbit's party was in power and the countries which leapfrogged us in the prosperity stakes were more active participants in the European Union.

"Europe isn't perfect, but we change it so it benefits Britain by getting involved, not carping on the sidelines."

Today, protesters battling against further integration with Europe took up positions outside the Assembly Rooms.

Tomorrow, they will be joined by hundreds of marchers in the city centre as York plays host to a "Speakers' Corner" of passionate debate and demonstration.

But as the wheels of Ecofin begin turning, the city council, which has spent £116,000 on Ecofin, is simply happy that the spotlight is on York as the world's media descend for the conference.

Peter Berry, assistant chief executive of the City of York Council, said: "The planning and hard work which began last year is about to come to fruition. Now it is time to show the world what a great place York is."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.