MPs angry at deputy prime minister's opposition to EU referendum which was in Liberal Democrat election manifesto
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Nick Clegg, who raised the prospect of a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU in his election manifesto, is now demanding that Tory and Lib Dem MPs vote against one. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
David Cameron is heading for an almighty bust up with his parliamentary party on Monday.
Loyalists are astonished that the prime minister is insisting that all his MPs must observe a three line whip to vote against a motion, tabled by the backbench business committee, calling for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
MPs say that Downing Street's poor management is symbolised by the treatment of George Eustice, the prime minister's mild mannered former spokesman. Eustice thought he would help Cameron by tabling an amendment which called on the government to publish a white paper setting out which powers Britain would repatriate from Brussels. The government would then renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU and hold a referendum on the outcome.
Eustice thought Cameron would support his amendment for a simple reason: it is what the prime minister believes in his heart of hearts. But, as I wrote this morning, the prime minister abandoned this approach in the coalition negotiations.
Downing Street is therefore distancing itself from the Eustice amendment because the government's policy is to hold a referendum if UK powers are transferred to Brussels. No 10 is saying that eurosceptic Tories, who cannot vote against the referendum motion, should vote for an amendment tabled by Richard Harrington, the MP for Watford. This is much closer to government policy.
None of the amendments is likely to be called by the commons speaker John Bercow who is expected to say that MPs should simply vote on the referendum motion tabled by the commons backbench committee. Tories, for once, will be pleased with Bercow. They are angry with their whips and Downing Street because the backbench commons motion, which the government is mobilising to defeat, almost entirely embraces official Lib Dem policy. Tories are citing two pieces of evidence:
• The Lib Dems are the only party in the coalition to have raised the prospect of an "in / out" referendum in their manifesto for last year's general election. This is what the Lib Dem manifesto said:
The European Union has evolved significantly since the last public vote on membership over thirty years ago. Liberal Democrats therefore remain committed to an in / out referendum the next time a British government signs up for fundamental change in the relationship between the UK and the EU.
Compare that with Monday's Commons motion which says:
That this House calls upon the Government to introduce a Bill in the next session of Parliament to provide for the holding of a national referendum on whether the United Kingdom should
(a) remain a member of the European Union on the current terms;
(b) leave the European Union; or
(c) re-negotiate the terms of its membership in order to create a new relationship based on trade and co-operation.
The Lib Dems, who say the world has moved on since the election last year, point out that their manifesto did not call for a unilateral referendum. This does not wash with Tories who point to their second piece of evidence to show why the Lib Dems are not being true to their word:
• Nick Clegg walked out of the House of Commons on 26 February 2008 after the then speaker, Michael Martin, refused to call a Lib Dem amendment demanding an "in / out" referendum. Simon Hoggart described the walk out as a "hissy fit" which was prompted by the decision of Sir Michael Lord, then deputy speaker, to expel Ed Davey after he protested at the speaker's refusal to call the Lib Dem amendment.
Tory MPs are enjoying re-reading what Clegg and Davey, now a business minister said that day:
ED: Will the chair reconsider the decision not to select the Liberal Democrat amendment for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU? That is the question that goes to the heart of the debate before the House. That is the debate that people want to hear. We are being gagged, Sir.
NC: I share the dismay of [Ed Davey]. What guidance can [the deputy speaker] give me on how we can secure – if not today, at some point during the remaining stages of the Bill – the opportunity to debate the issue that many members want debated and many members of the public want debated: our future membership of the EU?
One Tory tells me:
Downing Street has mucked this up. They are paying the price for getting a cheap headline when they said that parliament would have to debate an issue if more than 100,000 people sign a petition. The petition has been signed and now the government is closing down debate. They should have imposed a one line whip, asked [Europe minister] David Lidington to patronise us by saying the government would listen to our views and then ignore us. Instead they have created this car crash. Colleagues are now waking up to the role being played by the Lib Dems who are demanding that we vote against their own policy.
Such feelings show that the Tory anger is now extending well beyond Europe to touch on the coalition and the prime minister's handling of his backbenches. No wonder Cameron has hastily arranged a meeting on Monday with Tory parliamentary private secretaries, some of whom are threatening to resign.