Gordon Brown is no longer in sole command of determining whether Britain should join the single currency, Keith Vaz has claimed.

In an interview with ePolitix.com, the former Europe minister says the decision will now be taken by the new Cabinet committee established by the prime minister.

Vaz says the chancellor's statement on the single currency "binds us to a timetable" for British membership.

Whilst he accepts that the Treasury was "the guardian of the first assessment of the tests", he contends that the situation has changed since the June 9 statement.

"Since then we have had the entire Cabinet looking at this issue and now a European Cabinet committee has been set up specifically to talk about the importance of the euro to the British economy," he told this website

"So I think in a real sense the decision making process has passed from the Treasury to the wider Cabinet and more particularly to this new Cabinet committee which has been set up."

The former minister warns that the government must honour its commitment to take the euro debate out into the country.

"It is important that we take the message from Westminster down to a grassroots level where people should be able to feel, following the decision made by Gordon Brown and the prime minister that the tests have not been met, that we are serious about joining the euro," said Vaz.

"That is what was said when the announcement was made a few weeks ago, that there would be an important campaign led by the Cabinet which would reach every part of the United Kingdom, reminding the people that we are pro-Europe and pro-euro.

"This has not happened because the parliamentary and ministerial agenda is so crowded. But I think it is vital that we now get going on this."

Vaz also stressed that discussing the euro in purely economic terms will not be enough to secure support for British membership.

"There has got to be politics in this. Of course economic tests will have to be met, but there is a huge political discussion that needs to go on about this," argued Vaz.

"And I don't think it is therefore sufficient to have this discussion three weeks before the next assessment."

"I still fervently hope we will have a referendum before the next election. This will only happen if and when we get a campaign moving."

Ministers with "custody of economic portfolios" must step up their campaigning efforts, the Leicester East MP said.

"I would just say to ministers who have got custody of economic portfolios, this is now something they must do in a positive and constructive way," he adds.

"They can't sit in Whitehall and do this. They have got to get out. They have got to talk about it. And they have got to talk about it in a constructive and positive way."