British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg sought Sunday to draw a line under a row with France over the state of their economies, insisting cooperation was vital to end the eurozone crisis. Clegg, leader of the europhile Liberal Democrats, also insisted Britain would work with Europe despite Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron’s veto of a new EU treaty to save the euro, which angered fellow EU leaders.
The British deputy premier, who had led the fightback against the French criticism, on Sunday said it was now time to end the “beauty contest” over their economies. “Franco-British tit-for-tat language is something which crops up from time to time in our history and always has done,” Clegg told Sky News television. Clegg also insisted Sunday that Britain would stay at the negotiating table for talks on a new fiscal pact, which was agreed by the other 26 EU states following London’s veto.