The pro-euro campaigning push by ministers must start this autumn, a senior MP has told ministers.

In an exclusive interview with ePolitix.com, John McFall said the campaign promised by the chancellor and the prime minister should start when MPs return after the summer recess.

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had pledged after the five economic tests decision that members of the Cabinet and other ministers would go out to sell the euro to the public.

But McFall, chairman of the Treasury select committee and a close confident of the chancellor, raised concern that the initiative has been a non-starter so far.

"I have not seen any evidence of great activity by the government on this. I look forward to the autumn and them getting out to make the case," he said.

"It's very important and it has to be very public. It has to be very up front."

He accepted that the continuing row over the Iraq intelligence dossier, and the inquiry by Lord Hutton into the death of Dr David Kelly, had left little chance of the campaign making headlines.

"I think it has been overshadowed by the political events of the last few months but it's important that the government get a hold on the political agenda in the autumn and ensure this roadshow takes place with as many Cabinet ministers and ministers making the case," McFall said.

The Labour MP also accepted there was rising concern about the state of the economy, particularly with levels of consumer debt, and called for better education for the new generation of borrowers.

"People have to be aware of their own levels of debt, particularly in an environment where there is low interest rates and low inflation," he said.

"That means the debt will be with them for a quite a long period of time. If you bought a house in the '70s, inflation gobbled up a lot of the debt that was outstanding. Now that is not the case. It's a new economic environment that we're in and people need to be educated about that."

McFall rejected media predictions that this year's party conference would see a damaging row between the unions and the government.

There was a reminder to the government's left-wing critics of the investment commitment made by the government to the public services.

"There's always tension in such a relationship. We have to remember that in terms of public spending the last few years have seen record levels of money going in," he said.