British Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted on Friday he would not accept any deal on a future European Union budget unless other members promised to review agricultural spending earlier than previously agreed, Reuters reported. Blair, under pressure to strike a deal at an EU summit next week, said he accepted the entire budget could not be changed overnight. But he said the bloc could not be locked into current levels of farm spending until 2013 without a get-out clause. "I can't agree a deal that doesn't allow the possibility of a fundamental review for this next financial budget period," he told reporters after two days of consultations with EU leaders. Blair, holder of the rotating EU presidency, will publish new budget proposals next week after many members rejected his initial plans.
