Moderate Tory Eurosceptics seek to water down today's hardline Eurosceptic motion on bailouts

By Jonathan Isaby
^{Follow Jonathan on Twitter}

Yesterday Mark Reckless MP wrote on ConHome about the motion he is putting before Parliament in backbench time this afternoon which would:

"require the Government to place the European Financial Stability Mechanism on the agenda of the next meeting of the Council of Ministers or the European Council and to vote against continued use of the EFSM unless a Eurozone-only arrangement which relieves the UK of liability under the EFSM has by then been agreed."

That has been backed by his fellow Tory MPs Zac Goldsmith, John Redwood, Douglas Carswell, Bernard Jenkin, Henry Smith, William Cash, Peter Bone, Steve Baker, David Nuttall, Gordon Henderson, Philip Hollobone, Philip Davies, John Whittingdale, Edward Leigh, Christopher Chope, James Clappison, Richard Shepherd and Andrew Turner.

However, there is considerable frustration among those ultra-Eurosceptics because a rival amendment has been tabled by Chris Heaton-Harris in what many are describing as a "whips' operation", which waters the motion down to state that the House instead merely:

"urges the Government to raise the issue of the EFSM at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers or the European Council; and supports any measures which would lead to an agreement for a Eurozone-only arrangement."

Heaton-Harris's amendment has the support of Robert Syms, Charlie Elphicke, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Graham Evans, George Eustice, Richard Bacon, Ian Liddell-Grainger, Andrew Bridgen, Kris Hopkins, Caroline Nokes, Simon Kirby, Peter Aldous, Karen Bradley, Bob Blackman, Jason McCartney, Neil Parish, George Hollingbery, Stephen Metcalfe, Andrea Leadsom, John Glen, Penny Mordaunt, Harriett Baldwin, James Wharton, Rory Stewart, Jeremy Lefroy, Fiona Bruce, Amber Rudd, Christopher Pincher, Dan Byles, Paul Maynard, Mark Garnier, Roger Gale, Guto Bebb, Mark Pawsey, Alun Cairns, Caroline Dinenage, Simon Hart, Jackie Doyle-Price, Nigel Mills, Lee Scott, Chris White, Richard Ottaway, Claire Perry, Sir Paul Beresford, Gavin Williamson, Matthew Hancock, Michael Ellis, Stuart Andrew, Julian Sturdy, Graham Brady, Sam Gyimah and Priti Patel.

The debate has just got going and will be covered on ConHomein due course.