Tweet
from the guardian
all 3 parties at the last election promised us, in their manifestos, a vote on the EU constitution. france and holland, who rejected the constitution two years ago, will let the people decide on this 'treaty'.
hopefully this pressure from all sides will persuade the government to honour its word. i'm not holding my breath though.
'A hundred' Labour MPs set to call for EU referendum
Haroon Siddique
Friday August 24, 2007
Gordon Brown was facing growing pressure over the EU reform treaty today amid claims that more than 100 Labour MPs would back calls for a referendum.
Ian Davidson, the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, warned the prime minister that the party had a "clear and unequivocal manifesto commitment" to hold a UK-wide poll.
He told Guardian Unlimited that unless the terms of the treaty were renegotiated, as he was seeking, "well above 100" Labour MPs would back calls for a national ballot.
Mr Brown ruled out a public vote earlier this week when he insisted: "The proper way to discuss this is in the House of Commons and the House of Lords."
But Mr Davidson insisted: "We think at the moment it's essentially a constitution and would require a referendum.
"We are saying: 'Here are a number of changes that if accepted would probably make a referendum unnecessary.'"
On Tuesday trade unions joined the Tories in calling for a public vote on the treaty, which they believe is substantially the same as the constitution abandoned after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it two years ago.
Asked how many Labour MPs had pledged their support for a referendum so far, Mr Davidson said: "We are working on the basis of there being the same sort of support as the original request for a referendum, which would put us well above a hundred."
The Daily Mail reported today that 16 MPs had signed Commons motions calling for voters to have a say, and claimed party sources believed at least 25 more were preparing to back the demands.
"Many people have accepted the government line that the treaty is different from the constitution but when we run through it with them they're agreeing [with us]," Mr Davidson said.
The group of Labour MPs wants to stop the move towards a "very centralised union", and to amend the 2004 EU directive on freedom of movement, blamed for preventing the deportation of Learco Chindamo, the man who murdered the headteacher Philip Lawrence.
Mr Davidson said: "It destroys the whole notion of freedom of movement if the result is that criminals can't be deported."
He insisted it was realistic for the treaty to be negotiated, as Mr Brown's government had taken "a constructive and positive look at some of the policies inherited from its predecessor".
Mr Davidson also said the dissenters were not "rebels", but he admitted that the row over the treaty had put Mr Brown in a "difficult position".
"He has to explain to his other European leaders, in a sense, 'The bad boy did it and ran away.' He does have that difficulty that Blair lumbered him with disagreement."
Haroon Siddique
Friday August 24, 2007
Gordon Brown was facing growing pressure over the EU reform treaty today amid claims that more than 100 Labour MPs would back calls for a referendum.
Ian Davidson, the Labour MP for Glasgow South West, warned the prime minister that the party had a "clear and unequivocal manifesto commitment" to hold a UK-wide poll.
He told Guardian Unlimited that unless the terms of the treaty were renegotiated, as he was seeking, "well above 100" Labour MPs would back calls for a national ballot.
Mr Brown ruled out a public vote earlier this week when he insisted: "The proper way to discuss this is in the House of Commons and the House of Lords."
But Mr Davidson insisted: "We think at the moment it's essentially a constitution and would require a referendum.
"We are saying: 'Here are a number of changes that if accepted would probably make a referendum unnecessary.'"
On Tuesday trade unions joined the Tories in calling for a public vote on the treaty, which they believe is substantially the same as the constitution abandoned after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it two years ago.
Asked how many Labour MPs had pledged their support for a referendum so far, Mr Davidson said: "We are working on the basis of there being the same sort of support as the original request for a referendum, which would put us well above a hundred."
The Daily Mail reported today that 16 MPs had signed Commons motions calling for voters to have a say, and claimed party sources believed at least 25 more were preparing to back the demands.
"Many people have accepted the government line that the treaty is different from the constitution but when we run through it with them they're agreeing [with us]," Mr Davidson said.
The group of Labour MPs wants to stop the move towards a "very centralised union", and to amend the 2004 EU directive on freedom of movement, blamed for preventing the deportation of Learco Chindamo, the man who murdered the headteacher Philip Lawrence.
Mr Davidson said: "It destroys the whole notion of freedom of movement if the result is that criminals can't be deported."
He insisted it was realistic for the treaty to be negotiated, as Mr Brown's government had taken "a constructive and positive look at some of the policies inherited from its predecessor".
Mr Davidson also said the dissenters were not "rebels", but he admitted that the row over the treaty had put Mr Brown in a "difficult position".
"He has to explain to his other European leaders, in a sense, 'The bad boy did it and ran away.' He does have that difficulty that Blair lumbered him with disagreement."
hopefully this pressure from all sides will persuade the government to honour its word. i'm not holding my breath though.
Comment