LONDON Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch will campaign against British entry into the euro if the government calls a referendum on joining the single currency, the ****Financial *****Times reported on Tuesday.

The owner of several top British papers, including the mass-selling the ***Sun*** and ****The Times****, said "Vote No" was the message he would like to see spread by his British stable of newspapers.

"Europe is made up of so many diverse cultures and histories that to slam it altogether with a government of French bureaucrats answerable to nobody.... I cannot see anything but benefit by waiting," Murdoch, chairman of media giant News Corp., told the ****FT****.

Britain, Together with Sweden and Denmark, has so far opted out of joining the 12-strong euro bloc.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has said it wants to join the euro at some stage and has promised to produce an assessment of five self-imposed economic tests on the pros and cons of euro membership by the middle of next year, Reuters reported.

A final decision will be subject to a national referendum.

Within his own business, Murdoch said both his sons Lachlan and James could end up taking leadership roles, breaking from his previous guidance that the elder Lachlan would succeed him, the ***FT**** said.

Murdoch stuck by the idea of Lachlan as the designated business heir, partly because he was "older", but hinted he would like to see the two run things together, the ***FT**** reported.