A weekend of heavy reading is looming for every Cabinet minister as they have to wade through 2500 pages of detailed Treasury analysis on the euro.

The 18 technical studies stand more than two feet high and together weigh 2.5 stone.

Leo Beckett, husband of the environment secretary Margaret, was far from pleased.

"Oh dear," he said. "Margaret has been at a summit in Corfu this week and only today I packed her off on a plane to Strasbourg. We were going to spend the weekend catching up on the washing and ironing. It looks as though now it will be Leo doing the catching up."

John Reid, the leader of the House of Commons, denied that he will spend all weekend reading. "I will take time off to sleep, to go to the toilet, maybe to watch a football match," he said.

Special advisers have also had to clear their schedules. One said: "I can tell you where we will all be. In the office. All weekend."

Apart from culture secretary Tessa Jowell, who will be spending euros at the Cannes Film Festival as well as reading up on currency convergence.