Gordon Brown seems determined to win ugly. He regards the European reform treaty as a necessary evil, not as something desirable in itself. Such a negative approach may be the only way to win the battle over ratification. But it will be at the cost of a further loss of public trust both in politicians and in Britain’s place in the EU.

The whole affair has the grudging minimalism characteristic of European policy since the early 1990s. At first the British Government, of whatever party, resists EU initiatives, then agrees reluctantly after securing special opt-outs and exclusions. The results are presented narrowly in terms of defending Britain’s national interests, rather than of benefits. The argument is always about surrendering powers to Brussels, never about the advantages of sharing power or sovereignty.

So Mr Brown’s Commons statement was entirely defensive, about his efforts to write “detailed safeguards” into the text of the treaty. He made a robust case, despite the scepticism of the Tories. But if it is all about protecting interests, why bother? For Mr Brown, the treaty is primarily a transitional phase to focusing on the priorities of “the global challenges of employment, prosperity, competitiveness, climate change and security”, set out in a 27-page government statement yesterday.

Mr Brown is correct. The EU should be concentrating on these issues, which are of more direct concern to its citizens than institutional matters. And let us hope he is also right that “there is a growing consensus across Europe that there should be no more institutional change for many years”.

However, the only way that Mr Brown can win ratification is by a defensive, attritional battle. He has a case for resisting a referendum, but, at best, it sounds legalistic, while for most people it seems he is denying them the right to have their say. Hence David Cameron’s repeated refrain yesterday about never being able to trust Mr Brown again. The image of slippery, evasive politicians will be far more damaging than the details of the treaty.

Mr Brown’s calculation is that, by the time of the next election, any Tory pledge to reopen the argument over the already ratified treaty via a referendum can be presented as threatening not only Britain’s whole position in the EU, but also millions of jobs dependent on the single market. There is a strange dichotomy between what is really happening in the EU and the continuing hostility to Brussels of many British voters. Tony Blair always wanted to end decades of Britain being the awkward partner in Europe. He succeeded in terms of many policy decisions but failed to win over voters. And the cautious Mr Brown is wary of challenging the prevailing Eurosceptic mentality of much of the political and media worlds.

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