MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK parliament rejects EU referendum amendment despite 114 Tories votes

Hague said all Conservatives ”would like to be able to proceed with legislation in this Parliament...but we are in a coalition”

A total of 114 Conservative MPs have backed an amendment to the Queen's Speech “expressing regret” an EU referendum bill was not part of the government's agenda for the year ahead. Euro-sceptic Tories forced the vote as part of efforts to make Prime Minister David Cameron's pledge for a poll in 2017 binding.

Tory ministers abstained but the amendment was defeated as the Lib Dems and Labour joined forces to oppose it. The amendment was defeated by 277 votes to 130 after a Commons debate.

Conservative ministers said the party was united in wanting an in-out referendum but Labour said the prime minister had “lost control” of the agenda.

Tabled by Conservative MPs Peter Bone and John Baron, the amendment to the government's legislative programme came at the end of a week of Tory wrangling over the issue of the UK's future in Europe and a potential future referendum.

Including tellers, MPs who count the votes, 132 MPs voted for the amendment, increasing the pressure on the prime minister to deliver his pledge of a public vote should the Conservatives win the next election.

More than half of all Conservatives who are not part of the government voted for the amendment. Also backing the amendment were more than 10 Labour MPs, four Democratic Unionists, Lib Dem MP John Hemming and Respect's George Galloway.

Conservative backbenchers were given a free vote - meaning they were allowed to vote whichever way they chose - although ministers were instructed to abstain.

BBC News Channel chief political correspondent Norman Smith said the vote showed backbenchers were not convinced the prime minister's approach, which has seen him publish a draft bill setting out the path of a referendum and encouraging Conservative backbenchers to take it forward was the right one.

Speaking after the vote, Mr Bone said the MPs were not defying Mr Cameron but were urging the government to bring forward legislation paving the way for a referendum as soon as possible.

He said Mr Cameron was “doing all the right things” and the Conservative Party was united but their desire to give the British public their say was being “blocked” by Lib Dem leader and deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

“This is not a rebellion, this is a free vote. In fact, to a certain extent, the prime minister was encouraging us to vote for the amendment because, after all, it's his own policy.”

The prime minister did not take part in Wednesday's vote as he is in the US on a three-day trip.

Mr Baron said he wished Mr Cameron had come out in support of amendment as it would have put pressure on his Lib Dem coalition partners to accelerate the referendum process.

While he trusted the prime minister, Mr Baron said politicians had “broken promises” about EU referendums in the past and the public needed convincing about their intentions.

“We are not going to walk away,” he told the BBC. “We need legislation passed in this Parliament for the next Parliament to bridge that deficit of trust.”

In response, Foreign Secretary William Hague said all Conservatives “would like to be able to proceed with legislation in this Parliament...but we are in a coalition”.

Speaking earlier, Mr Clegg said Tory MPs had “changed the goalposts” over the terms of an EU referendum as the government had already legislated to hold a vote if further powers were handed to Brussels.

Labour have accused the prime minister of “caving in” to his backbenchers and said, while they are not opposed to the principle of a referendum, committing to one now will cause uncertainty and deter investment.

“David Cameron's backbenchers have shown they simply won't give up until he gives in,” shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said. The real risk is that he spends the coming month trying to get his party back in line, instead of focussing on getting our economy back on track”. (BBC).-