Douglas Carswell's Blog

EU vote in Parliament; MPs face a simple choice

Every MP today will have to make a straight forward choice; either they can vote to give the people a referendum on the EU, or they can vote not to trust you. 

Today’s Commons motion was put on the Parliamentary agenda not by MPs like me, but by tens of thousands of ordinary people signing a petition demanding it.  The Coalition, to their great credit, introduced this mechanism to enable ordinary folk to trigger Commons debates on things that matter to them.  Today’s debate in the Commons is the result. 

Will your MP respond to pressure from Middle Britain, or ignore it?

MPs are often accused by the public of failing to keep their promises.  Of saying one thing when they want votes, but of doing another when they are elected.  Today is our chance to prove the cynics wrong.  Until recently, all three main parties were promising a referendum on the EU.  This evening each MP has the chance to keep faith with those promises.  The voters are watching.   

Click here for a list of those MPs  who have so far said they will be voting to give the people a referendum.  Tomorrow we will be able to see which individual MPs voted for it, against it, or abstained.

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