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EU bill 'up against Commons clock' EU referendum bill gets Commons approval
(about 5 hours later)
An EU referendum bill could run out of time if it does not clear the Commons on Friday, the MP behind it says. A bill calling for an referendum on the UK's membership of the EU in 2017 has been approved by the House of Commons.
Conservative James Wharton said the European Union (Referendum) Bill had only a 50-50 chance of clearing its final Commons stage. The legislation passed its final stage in the Commons on Friday despite efforts by Labour and Lib Dems MPs to delay its passage.
The bill, which would enshrine in law a referendum in 2017 on the UK's EU membership, is backed by Tory MPs and the party leadership. The bill will now move to the House of Lords for scrutiny early next year.
But Labour and Lib Dem MPs have tried to block it by speaking at length. The Tory MP behind the bill, James Wharton, said it was a "significant" milestone in the campaign to let the British public have their say.
They hope the legislation eventually runs out of parliamentary time and fails, but have denied claims by Tory MPs they are deliberately filibustering. The private member's bill has been strongly supported by David Cameron, who says the UK needs to negotiate a better deal within the EU and get public backing for any new arrangements.
MPs are to debate how any campaigns for and against a referendum would be conducted before the Bill can proceed to Third Reading, its final Commons stage. But both his deputy Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband have warned of the uncertainty and damage to business they say would be caused by holding a referendum.
'Relief' 'Drawn out'
It must complete its Third Reading on Friday, as it is the final sitting Friday for private members' bills in the Commons before Christmas. Although the bill's progress in the Commons had been "drawn-out", Mr Wharton said it had got over "every hurdle" and had made progress that "many commentators said would not happen".
With only three sitting Fridays available in the new year before the parliamentary session comes to a close, and the Bill still needing to clear the House of Lords too, Mr Wharton said it faced a tight timetable if it did not receive final approval from MPs. "This is significant and I think it could be argued to be an historic thing," he said.
"I hope we can get through the last group of amendments and on to Third Reading. "The House of Commons has voted overwhelmingly to pass at every stage legislation for a referendum - that has not been done since the last referendum in 1975."
"I hope we can get through Third Reading as well but that is only 50-50. If we can, the Bill goes off to the House of Lords and we can all breathe a sigh of relief," he said. Opposition MPs hoped the legislation would eventually run out of parliamentary time, speaking at length to try and frustrate its progress, but Tory MPs have accused them of deliberately filibustering.
"But if we don't then I am absolutely determined to get this through the House of Commons when we come back in January. It wouldn't be an impossible timetable if that happened, but it would be a tight one." Labour's Mike Gapes, who spoke for 38 minutes at one stage on Friday, said the bill was a "pig-in-a-poke" as it was predicated on a pledge to renegotiate the UK's membership which may never happen.
Mr Wharton does have options if he wishes to help the bill make progress. He can bring a closure motion to end the debate on a group of amendments. "This bill is a disgrace. It should not be supported. I hope the House of Lords will do justice to it and amend it significantly," he said.
It is up to Speaker John Bercow whether to accept a vote on a closure motion on the basis the issues have been fully debated. Debate on the bill in the Lords - where the government does not have a natural majority and has suffered frequent defeats in votes on other legislation - will start early in 2014.
At least 100 MPs must support a closure motion but this should not be a problem as the Conservatives have ordered their MPs to attend on a three-line whip. Mr Wharton acknowledged that the bill would have a tougher time making its way through Upper House but warned peers hoping to block it that they should think twice about what they were doing.
"For an unelected House to deny the British people a say on a bill which has been passed by the elected House of Commons I think would put them in a very difficult position," he added.