Eurosceptic Tory MPs win debate on motion seeking multi-option referendum on EU

By Tim Montgomerie
Follow Tim on Twitter.

The Mail on Sunday recently reported that the Commons' backbench Committee was likely to give time for MPs to debate a motion in favour of holding a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

Now agreed for debate on 27th October is the following motion (something I recommended only this morning as part of my Majority Manifesto):

The 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

(a) should 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.

My source tells me that the motion is gathering considerable support from a large number of MPs and not "the usual suspects". The motion's value is that it is appealing to more moderate Eurosceptics as well as "out-ers".

By way of footnote readers might be interested in my suggestion - made to yesterday's BBC Analysis programme - that about a third of Tory MPs probably favour withdrawal and another third favour fundamental renegotiation. Radio 4's Ed Stourton writes about this here.