Labour MP's to abstain on EU referendum Bill

Labour MPs to abstain on EU referendum Bill
Labour MPs will be told not to vote on a Tory Bill to guarantee a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.

Ed Miliband will abstain in any Commons vote on an EU referendum Bill. Photo: REX


By Tim Ross, Political Correspondent
5:04PM BST 13 Jun 2013


David Cameron has promised to put a new deal on EU membership to the electorate in a referendum by 2017 and the Tories are proposing a Bill to enshrine the commitment in law.
However, despite unease among some senior Labour figures, Ed Miliband’s office is telling his MPs they should stay away from Parliament or abstain in any vote on the Tory Bill next month.
The measure will allow Labour to continue to attempt to block the Bill without being forced into a position of voting against a measure to give the public a say on Europe.
A senior Labour source dismissed the Conservative Bill, being introduced by the MP James Wharton with Downing St support, as a “gimmick” and a “political stunt”.
“We are therefore suggesting to colleagues that they do not need to be here on Friday 5th July,” the source said.
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The shadow cabinet “will not be voting” on the Bill’s second reading in the Commons.
If the majority of Labour MPs abstain, the Bill will certainly pass its first major hurdle with the overwhelming support of Tory MPs, despite opposition from Liberal Democrats.
However, Labour remains determined to prevent the referendum Bill becoming law. The party leadership is convinced it can use other parliamentary tactics to prevent the measure being passed.
As it is a constitutional reform, there will be no limit on debates in the Lords and many amendments are expected to be proposed. There is also no Tory majority in the House of Lords, the Labour source suggested.
Mr Miliband opposes Mr Cameron’s promise to hold a referendum on a renegotiated deal for Britain’s membership of the EU. The Labour leader argues that to promise such a vote four years in advance merely creates uncertainty for businesses that will harm Britain’s interests.
However, other senior figures, including Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor, and Jon Cruddas, the party’s policy review chairman, have insisted that Labour must not rule out offering voters a referendum in the next election manifesto.
The Tories immediately accused Labour of denying voters a say over whether Britain should quit the European Union.
Grant Shapps, the Conservative Party chairman, said: “We want to allow the British people to decide our European future with an in-out referendum and we want to turn this commitment into law.
“Ed Miliband has made clear yet again that he is too weak to give his MPs, let alone the public, a say.
“We know there are Labour MPs who want that referendum and we would urge them to ignore their weak leader, back our Bill and let Britain decide.”
Labour sources said they expected a number of eurosceptic MPs on their own side to ignore the party’s orders and support the Bill.
Keith Vaz, the senior Labour MP and former Europe Minister, has been leading a campaign to persuade his party to back a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
Dominic Moffitt, director of the Labour for a Referendum campaign, welcomed the fact that the party "is not seeking to obstruct" the passing of the Bill by ordering MPs to vote against it.
"Since the Labour Party is not whipping for abstention we hope that all Labour MPs who support a referendum will vote for one on the 5th July

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If Milliband goes through with this, he has no chance of winning the next Election. When are these Bl**dy Politicians going to stop playing ping-pong and for once give the public what it wants......a Referendum.!!!!

The labour rabble are playing it safe. So whatever happens they can say it was not their fault!    This shower of ditherers are hoping to be in charge of our country at the next election.  It is bad enough now but that would really be the end.

fuzeta wrote:The labour rabble are playing it safe. So whatever happens they can say it was not their fault!    This shower of ditherers are hoping to be in charge of our country at the next election.  It is bad enough now but that would really be the end.

There is no Politician who stands out as a leader...come on Boris, show them how it's done.LOL

fuzeta, it's very strange , I had to take my Computer into my local repair shop the other day , they said they had tidied it up, uninstalled some stuff I did'nt need etc.  However, when I post on here, your post is highlighted in light brown, my reply is in white, there os no avatar or emoticons until I send my post which shows up normal. I don't know what to do to get ot back to normal, do you.?

I am having the same Panda so not your computer.    There does not seem to be any quote signs either so replies are going on to the previous post.

I have just tried to reply to you on one of your posts and yours came up in that brown colour and my post would have merged with yours just as WJK's did (I think)  So I replied separately, if that makes sense!

Once again Panda your post is tallied on mine and it looks like you have made a blank post