Majority of Britons opposed to the Euro

02 January 2009

A majority of Britons are reported to be still opposed to being part of the European single currency, the Euro (€), according to reports.

So far, a little over a dozen European countries have adopted the unified currency. Slovakia has become the 16th European Union state to adopt the single currency.

The ICM survey for BBC Radio 4's "The World At One" said only around 15 per cent of respondents said that the Great Britain pound's fall made them keen to ditch the sterling for the euro.

Reports quoted different surveys that said the majority of people in the UK were still against joining the European single currency, citing varying percentages of Britons as voting against a move to the single currency.

A report in the BBC said a survey of 1,000 adults revealed only 23 per cent would vote "yes" to joining the European single currency, while with six per cent being still undecided, and an overwhelming 71 per cent being opposed to it.

The UK government has said that it plans to put the issue before the people in a referendum once its five economic tests for the Euro have been cleared.