Portillo hints the French Maastricht elections were fixed

Michael Portillo: The escape door's open, but Blair stays on as EU hostage
Sunday Times Comment
March 27, 2005

Twelve years ago selected members of John Major’s cabinet gathered at Admiralty House to hear the results of the French referendum on the Maastricht treaty. Eurosceptics like me longed for a “non”, and the enthusiasts like Douglas Hurd counted on a “oui”. Major just yearned to be delivered from the nightmare of having to get the Maastricht legislation through his party and parliament. Opinion polls said the result was too close to call.

Within minutes of the ballot boxes being sealed Major received a call from Paris to tell him that the vote had been carried by 51% to 49%. That surprised me. In my experience of elections it had never been possible to know the outcome of such a close contest so quickly. To this day I harbour shameful doubts about how the French government could be so sure so soon. British ministers exchanged sceptical glances in private as Major went outside to tell the media of his pleasure at the result.