Tony Blair has set out Britain's red lines for accepting or rejecting a new EU constitution, as the UK looked more likely to be isolated at this week's crunch Brussels summit.

Last night the French and Spanish government appeared to be in agreement that they would press for a new charter of fundamental rights and more majority voting - both of which the UK opposes.

Today Mr Blair set out four no-go zones for negotiations on which he insisted he would not compromise.

He said they were the fundamental charter of rights, foreign policy, common law, and tax and benefits - putting Britain on a collision course with the German presidency of the EU, and the agreement by France and Spain last night.

Mr Blair told a panel of MPs this morning, in his swansong grilling by the liaison committee: "If people want an agreement this week we've got to go back to a conventional amending treaty.

"Europe needs to work more effectively," he told the chairs of MPs' select committees.

"What is does not need is a constitutional treaty, or a treaty 'with the characteristics of a constitution', to put it in the words the Dutch have used.

"In my view we should be very clear about this, and this gives me an opportunity to make this absolutely clear, here and also to our European colleagues.

"First we will not accept a treaty that allows the charter of fundamental rights to change UK law in any way.

"Second, we will not agree to something that displaces the role of British foreign policy and our foreign minister.

"Thirdly, we will not agree to give up our ability to control our common law and judicial and police system.

"And fourthly, we will not agree to anything that moves to qualified-majority voting, something that can have a big say in our own tax and benefits system.

"Those are four major changes, obviously, in what was agreed before and that is the position we will set out and if people want an agreement I'm afraid we are going to have to agree on that."

Mr Blair argued that any such agreement would not require a referendum to validate it - as he promised when the constitution was last on the table, two years ago.

He said: "If we achieve those four objectives, I defy people to say what it is that is supposed to be so fundamental it would require a referendum.

However, it will be for incoming the prime minister, Gordon Brown, to deal with the aftermath of the summit next week. The Brussels meeting takes place this Thursday and Friday, while Mr Brown takes over as PM next Wednesday.

Mr Blair pointed to the elections of Nicolas Sarkozy in France, Angela Merkel in Germany and José Manuel Barroso as president of the European commission as evidence that the EU was coming round to Britain's way of thinking.

Last night, at a pre-summit dinner of foreign ministers in Luxembourg, France and Spain agreed to push for more majority voting and moves to turn the EU into a "single legal personality", effectively giving it greater clout on the world stage.

The UK, along with Poland, now looks set to be negotiating against the consensus position when the Brussels summit begins on Thursday.

Both France and the Netherlands rejected the original constitution in referendums in 2005, killing the treaty off at the time.

It has now been revived under Ms Merkel, who is keen to see speedier decision-making now that the EU has expanded from 15 to 27 members.

But the surprising new alliance - between a country which voted no (France) and a country which ratified the constitution (Spain) increases the pressure on Britain at Mr Blair's final European summit.

Poland, meanwhile, is objecting to a reduction in its new voting rights, and may also torpedo any deal.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, insisted Britain would stand firm on its so-called "red lines" at the negotiations, but the French and Spanish foreign ministers agreed to argue for the legally-binding charter of fundamental rights, majority voting on 51 policy areas and the single legal personality concept.

The French and Dutch foreign ministers emphasised the validity of their joint stand by pointing out that the alliance was forged by opposites, arguing: "These are views being put forward by a country which said yes to the original constitution, and a country which said no."

Before flying to Luxembourg for the dinner Mrs Beckett admitted the summit negotiations on the constitution's replacement would be "nerve-racking".

And Geoff Hoon, the Europe minister, refused to rule out the need for a referendum in Britain if the constitution's original contents could not be sufficiently watered down.

Mr Blair had promised a referendum on the original treaty, but this was indefinitely postponed in the wake of the French and Dutch no votes. The Conservatives, who opposed the constitution, are pressing for a referendum no matter how watered down the new version of a treaty becomes.

from : Guardian Unlimited