Meetings between the prime minister, chancellor and members of the Cabinet ministers on the euro were not "tri-lateral" after all, it has emerged, aside from those with heavyweight ministers who were granted a rare personal audience.

Only "big beasts" such as John Prescott, David Blunkett and Jack Straw saw Tony Blair and Gordon Brown alone this week, with other less senior department chiefs being herded into groups.

It had previously been suggested that the whole of the Cabinet would be given a private opportunity to voice their views, but a Downing Street source tells the FT that it was impossible to schedule 21 individual meetings between the weekend and today's Cabinet discussion on the single currency.