Government Squashes Referendum Hopes

The motion to give the people of Britain a referendum on the EU was defeated in a vote of 483 to 111 after David Cameron ordered his MPs to vote against the proposal.
(How did your MP vote? Click HERE for surname order, or click HERE for constituency order. Both pages have links to the debate itself and for your MP’s email address.)
But while the coalition Government was successful in blocking the referendum (to read the text of the motion, see our earlier report), they have been significantly weakened after the largest backbench rebellion since they took power.
The outcome of yesterday’s vote was practically guaranteed after the Prime Minister invoked a mechanism known as the ‘three-line whip’, requiring MPs in Government jobs to follow the Prime Minister’s lead or lose their positions.
Despite the pressure from Downing Street, Tory MPs Stewart Jackson and Adam Holloway defied the Prime Minister’s whips and will consequently be resigning from their posts. They were joined by numerous backbenchers (see list below) in their insistence that the people of Britain have a right to a referendum.
‘Humiliation to the Government’
Referring to the 81 Tories who defied the Prime Minister, Labour leader Ed Miliband said the backbench rebellion was a “humiliation” to the Government. “If he can’t win the argument with his own backbenchers,” Miliband commented, “how can the country have confidence that he can win the arguments that matter for Britain?”
A Spokesman from Number 10 Downing Street defended the Prime Minister, saying, “It was important to take a strong lead – because Britain’s best interests are served by being in the EU.”
‘U-Turn’
Christian Voice accused David Cameron of making a ‘U-Turn’ after years of promoting himself as a Eurosceptic. Robin Phillips, press secretary for Christian Voice, commented, “He continually promises to change Britain’s relationship with Europe and even gave a ‘cast iron guarantee’ that his Government would support a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. After yesterday’s events, the image of Cameron as a Eurosceptic will be increasingly difficult to sustain.”
“But it is not just David Cameron that is guilty of making a U-turn” Phillips continued. “In the run-up to the last general election the Liberal Democrats campaigned for a referendum [see photo below from their campaign flier]. However, when faced with a choice of keeping to their promise, they have capitulated to David Cameron’s europhilia.
What You Can Do
WRITE: to your MP. Check the Roll of Honour below and if your MP is not in the list, ask him or her why! Point out that it has been 36 years since the people of Britain were consulted. Back then the people of Britain were told that they were merely entering a Common Market.
Sign our online petition:
Further Reading
Peradventure there be 111 righteous within the city…
EU referendum: Rebels lose vote in Commons
Look what I found on the Lib Dem website
Roll of Honour: MPs Who Voted ‘Yes’ to a Referendum
Mr Stuart Andrew (Con) (Pudsey)
Mr Steve Baker (Con) (Wycombe)
Mr John Baron (Con) (Basildon & Billericay)
Mr Andrew Bingham (Con) (High Peak)
Mr Brian Binley (Con) (Northampton South)
Mr Bob Blackman (Con) (Harrow East)
Mr. Peter Bone (Con) (Wellingborough)
Mr Graham Brady (Con) (Altrincham & Sale West)
Mr Andrew Bridgen (Con) (North West Leicestershire)
Mr Steve Brine (Con) (Winchester)
Ms Fiona Bruce (Con) (Congleton)
Mr Dan Byles (Con) (North Warwickshire)
Mr Ronnie Campbell (Lab) (Blyth Valley)
Mr Gregory Campbell (DUP) (East Londonderry)
Mr Douglas Carswell (Con) (Clacton)
Mr William Cash (Con) (Stone)
Mr Christopher Chope (Con) (Christchurch)
Mr James Clappison (Con) (Hertsmere)
Ms Rosie Cooper (Lab) (West Lancashire)
Mr Jeremy Corbyn (Lab) (Islington North)
Ms Tracey Crouch (Con) (Chatham & Aylesford)
Mr Jon Cruddas (Lab) (Dagenham & Rainham)
Mr John Cryer (Lab) (Leyton & Wanstead)
Mr Ian Davidson (Lab) (Glasgow South West)
Mr Philip Davies (Con) (Shipley)
Mr David T.C. Davies (Con) (Monmouth)
RH Mr David Davis (Con) (Haltemprice & Howden)
Mr Nick de Bois (Con) (Enfield North)
Ms Caroline Dinenage (Con) (Gosport)
RH Mr Nigel Dodds (DUP) (Belfast North)
RH Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson (DUP) (Lagan Valley)
Mrs. Nadine Dorries (Con) (Mid Bedfordshire)
Mr Richard Drax (Con) (South Dorset)
Ms Natascha Engel (Lab) (North East Derbyshire)
RH Mr Frank Field (Lab) (Birkenhead)
Mr Mark Field (Con) (Cities of London & Westminster)
Ms Lorraine Fullbrook (Con) (South Ribble)
Mr Roger Godsiff (Lab) (Birmingham Hall Green)
Mr Zac Goldsmith (Con) (Richmond Park)
Mr James Gray (Con) (North Wiltshire)
Mr Chris Heaton-Harris (Con) (Daventry)
Mr Gordon Henderson (Con) (Sittingbourne & Sheppey)
Lady Hermon (UU) (North Down)
Ms Kate Hoey (Lab) (Vauxhall)
Mr George Hollingbery (Con) (Meon Valley)
Mr. Philip Hollobone (Con) (Kettering)
Mr Adam Holloway (Con) (Gravesham)
Mr Kelvin Hopkins (Lab) (Luton North)
Mr Stewart Jackson (Con) (Peterborough)
Mr Bernard Jenkin (Con) (Harwich & North Essex)
Mr Marcus Jones (Con) (Nuneaton)
Mr Chris Kelly (Con) (Dudley South)
Ms Andrea Leadsom (Con) (South Northamptonshire)
Mr Jeremy Lefroy (Con) (Stafford)
Mr Edward Leigh (Con) (Gainsborough)
Dr Julian Lewis (Con) (New Forest East)
Ms Caroline Lucas (Gre) (Brighton Pavilion)
Ms Karen Lumley (Con) (Redditch)
Mrs Anne Main (Con) (St Albans)
Mr. Steve McCabe (Lab) (Birmingham Selly Oak)
Mr Karl McCartney (Con) (Lincoln)
Mr Jason McCartney (Con) (Colne Valley)
Dr William McCrea (DUP) (South Antrim)
Mr John McDonnell (Lab) (Hayes & Harlington)
Mr Stephen McPartland (Con) (Stevenage)
Mr Patrick Mercer (Con) (Newark)
Mr Nigel Mills (Con) (Amber Valley)
Mr. Austin Mitchell (Lab) (Great Grimsby)
Mr James Morris (Con) (Halesowen & Rowley Regis)
Ms Anne Marie Morris (Con) (Newton Abbot)
Mr Stephen Mosley (Con) (City of Chester)
Ms Sheryll Murray (Con) (South East Cornwall)
Ms Caroline Nokes (Con) (Romsey & Southampton North)
Mr David Nuttall (Con) (Bury North)
Mr Matthew Offord (Con) (Hendon)
Mr Ian Paisley (DUP) (North Antrim)
Mr Neil Parish (Con) (Tiverton & Honiton)
Ms Priti Patel (Con) (Witham)
Mr Andrew Percy (Con) (Brigg & Goole)
Mr Mark Pritchard (Con) (The Wrekin)
Mr Mark Reckless (Con) (Rochester & Strood)
RH Mr John Redwood (Con) (Wokingham)
Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg (Con) (North East Somerset)
Mr Simon Reevell (Con) (Dewsbury)
Mr Laurence Robertson (Con) (Tewkesbury)
Mr Andrew Rosindell (Con) (Romford)
Mr Adrian Sanders (LD) (Torbay)
Mr Jim Shannon (DUP) (Strangford)
Mr Richard Shepherd (Con) (Aldridge-Brownhills)
Mr David Simpson (DUP) (Upper Bann)
Mr Dennis Skinner (Lab) (Bolsover)
Mr Henry Smith (Con) (Crawley)
RH Mr Andrew Smith (Lab) (Oxford East)
Mr John Stevenson (Con) (Carlisle)
Mr Bob Stewart (Con) (Beckenham)
Mr Gary Streeter (Con) (South West Devon)
Mr. Graham Stringer (Lab) (Blackley & Broughton)
Ms Gisela Stuart (Lab) (Birmingham Edgbaston)
Mr Julian Sturdy (Con) (York Outer)
RH Sir Peter Tapsell (Con) (Louth & Horncastle)
Mr Justin Tomlinson (Con) (North Swindon)
Mr Andrew Turner (Con) (Isle of Wight)
Mr Martin Vickers (Con) (Cleethorpes)
Mr Robin Walker (Con) (Worcester)
Mr Charles Walker (Con) (Broxbourne)
Ms Heather Wheeler (Con) (South Derbyshire)
Mr Craig Whittaker (Con) (Calder Valley)
Mr John Whittingdale (Con) (Maldon)
Mr Sammy Wilson (DUP) (East Antrim)
Dr Sarah Wollaston (Con) (Totnes)
Mr Mike Wood (Lab) (Batley & Spen)






































