British Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed Tuesday that Britain is to hold a referendum on the proposed European Union (EU) constitution.

In a clear U-turn on government policy, Blair said the British parliament should debate the constitution question "in detail and decide upon it" and "then let the people have the final say."

Blair told the House of Commons, parliament's lower house: "The electorate should be asked for their opinion when all our questions have been answered, when all the details are known, whenthe legislation has been finally tempered and scrutinised...and when parliament has debated and decided."

"The question will be on the treaty, but the implications go far wider. It is time to resolve once and for all whether this country, Britain, wants to be at the center and heart of decision-making or not," Blair said, stressing that EU enlargement is rightfor Europe and the British government fully supports it.

However, he did not announce a specific date for the referendum.

Blair's statement follows months of pressure for a referendum from the main opposition Conservative Party which claims the treaty will undermine Britain's sovereignty.

The British government has for months insisted that the planned constitution, which aims to streamline decision making in the EU, needs no public vote because it would not threaten Britain's control of vital policy areas.

A referendum on the constitution will be the first nationwide poll on a single issue in Britain since 1975 when the government of former Labor prime minister Harold Wilson won a vote to stay inEurope.

Denmark, Ireland and Luxembourg have already announced plans for referenda on the constitution and several other countries have indicated they are likely to follow suit.

The EU constitution -- drawn up last year with the aim of streamlining EU decision-making when the 15-nation bloc welcomes 10 new members on May 1 -- must be ratified by all 25 member states in order to come into force.

So far, EU leaders have failed to agree on the final details. Talks on the constitution collapsed at an EU summit last December after some countries disagreed on the sharing of voting power in the bloc. Spain and Poland insist they will not give up the preferential deal they won at the Nice Summit in 2000.

EU leaders agreed at a summit in Brussels in March that they would try to reach a final agreement on the constitution by June.

Source: Xinhua