text: British " Euro-sceptic " says Clarke should resign. LONDON 1996-12-06 
   A " Euro-sceptic " member of the ruling Conservative party said on Thursday British finance minister Kenneth Clarke had to resign to prevent the party disintegrating over the issue of a single European currency. Member of Parliament Tony Marlow said the resignation of the chancellor of the exchequer was the only way to make the Conservatives electable in a general election which must take place by May next year. " We have a divided and split Cabinet. This cannot endure, " Marlow told BBC television's Newsnight programme on Thursday. " 
   It is not sustainable. Kenneth Clarke has to go. If he doesn't resign, the prime minister has got to fire him. " 
   Marlow's comment come on the heels of speculation that Clarke had threatened to resign if the government changed its " wait and see " policy on a single currency and declared it would not sign up for the currency in the next Parliament. Clarke denied on Thursday he had threatened to resign and said his position on the single currency was in tune with that of Prime Minister John Major. Major told parliament on Thursday he would keep his options open on single-currency membership. His statement was interpreted as a significant victory for Clarke and fellow pro-European Michael Heseltine, deputy prime minister. Pro-European Conservative MP Edwina Currie told the BBC that if Clarke resigned, other ministers would go with him.
competitors: British Euro-sceptic Clarke LONDON Euro-sceptic Conservative British Kenneth Clarke European Parliament Tony Marlow Conservatives Cabinet Marlow BBC Newsnight Kenneth Clarke Marlow Clarke Parliament Clarke John Major Major Clarke pro-European Michael Heseltine Pro-European Conservative Edwina Currie BBC Clarke