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Rightwing Tory pleads for no amendments to his EU referendum bill Rightwing Tory pleads for no amendments to his EU referendum bill
(35 minutes later)
Tory supporters of an EU referendum need to broaden their cross-party support, and show great discipline if the bill introducing an in-out referendum by 2017 is to reach the statute book, the bill's sponsor declared on Monday. Tory supporters of an EU referendum need to broaden their cross-party support and show great discipline if the bill introducing an in-out referendum by 2017 is to reach the statute book, the bill's sponsor declared on Monday.
Conservative MP James Wharton said the bill's second reading on Friday will be straightforward because of Labour and Liberal Democrat abstentions, but he added that "in the longer run, we do need a broader base of support". Conservative MP James Wharton said the bill's second reading on Friday would be straightforward because of Labour and Liberal Democrat abstentions, but he added that "in the longer run, we do need a broader base of support".
In a message to the ardent Eurosceptics on his own benches, Wharton, MP for Stockton South on Teesside, said he needed to make sure no amendments were tabled if the bill is to reach the Lords by the late autumn. In a message to the ardent Eurosceptics on his own benches, Wharton, MP for Stockton South on Teesside, said he needed to make sure no amendments were tabled if the bill was to reach the Lords by the late autumn.
He said he wanted the bill out of its committee stages as quickly as possible to ensure it was the first to complete its Commons stages, and did not fall behind other private member's bills.He said he wanted the bill out of its committee stages as quickly as possible to ensure it was the first to complete its Commons stages, and did not fall behind other private member's bills.
He said: "The best chance of it going through is if it is unamended, so I discourage colleagues from all sides from tabling amendments." He admitted he had little idea if the bill could get through the Lords, saying: "No one really knows that the Lords is likely to do on any issue".He said: "The best chance of it going through is if it is unamended, so I discourage colleagues from all sides from tabling amendments." He admitted he had little idea if the bill could get through the Lords, saying: "No one really knows that the Lords is likely to do on any issue".
John Mills, the founder of the Labour campaign for a referendum, claimed half of the shadow cabinet and at least a third of all Labour MPs now privately supported backing a referendum at the next election. He added: "There is now a real danger of a large gap opening up between what potential Labour voters want on a referendum and the possible Labour stance at the next election. A failure to back a referendum would pose great dangers to Labour's electoral chances," he said. John Mills, the founder of the Labour campaign for a referendum, claimed half of the shadow cabinet and at least a third of all Labour MPs now privately supported Labour backing a referendum at the next election. He added: "There is now a real danger of a large gap opening up between what potential Labour voters want on a referendum and the possible Labour stance at the next election. A failure to back a referendum would pose great dangers to Labour's electoral chances," he said.
Labour is abstaining on the bill's second reading, but Mills believes that if David Cameron were less eager to exploit Labour's opposition to an in-out referendum, the Labour leader Ed Miliband might be persauded to shift his stance. Labour is abstaining on the bill's second reading, but Mills believes that if David Cameron were less eager to exploit Labour's opposition to an in-out referendum, the party's leader, Ed Miliband, might be persuaded to shift his stance.
But Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister, insisted his party had remained consistent in saying it did not support a referendum being fixed now. Whenever a referendum came, he said, his party will be backing Britain remaining in the EU. But Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister, insisted his party had remained consistent in saying it did not support a referendum being fixed now. Whenever a referendum came, he said, his party would be backing Britain remaining in the EU.
He said: "The Liberal Democrats have been consistent throughout; the Conservatives have changed. They now want to pluck a slightly arbitrary date in the diary out of thin air to have a referendum on a very ill-defined process of so-called renegotiation.He said: "The Liberal Democrats have been consistent throughout; the Conservatives have changed. They now want to pluck a slightly arbitrary date in the diary out of thin air to have a referendum on a very ill-defined process of so-called renegotiation.
"We have a clear position. It is consistent: it has remained the same over some period of time. We are not going to waste any of our time helping the Conservatives indulge in their own internal feuds on the floor of the House of Commons on Friday.""We have a clear position. It is consistent: it has remained the same over some period of time. We are not going to waste any of our time helping the Conservatives indulge in their own internal feuds on the floor of the House of Commons on Friday."
He argued: "It is a centre-ground position that most reasonable people understand. We will always be the party of in. We do not believe the EU is perfect, of course. It needs reform, but it is overwhelmingly in the national interest for us to be in, as a leading member state in the EU. They [the Conservatives] may become increasingly the party of out; we will unambiguously remain the party of in."He argued: "It is a centre-ground position that most reasonable people understand. We will always be the party of in. We do not believe the EU is perfect, of course. It needs reform, but it is overwhelmingly in the national interest for us to be in, as a leading member state in the EU. They [the Conservatives] may become increasingly the party of out; we will unambiguously remain the party of in."