Tories ‘letting off steam’ over EU

The Conservative minister yesterday played down an amendment expressing regret that the Queen’s Speech last week did not contain a “paving Bill” for a referendum as MPs “letting off steam”.

Ministers have been told to abstain if the motion, tabled by Tory MPs John Baron and Peter Bone, is put to a vote on Wednesday. Several had otherwise been tipped to join up to 100 backbenchers in backing it.

But Mr Gove dismissed claims by Labour that it represented a revolt within party ranks.

“You can’t have a civil war when everyone is on the same side,” he said.

“Fundamentally, the overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs would like to have a different relationship between Britain and Europe.

“Some of my colleagues are very exuberant and want to let off steam. That is fair enough.”

Mr Gove, who said he would abstain, insisted he backed Prime Minister David Cameron’s strategy of seeking a return of powers before putting a new relationship to an in/out vote by 2017.

But he said he would vote to quit Brussels if there was an immediate referendum.

“My ideal is exactly what the majority of the British public’s ideal is, which is to recognise the current situation is no good, to say that life outside would be perfectly tolerable, we could contemplate it, there would be certain advantages,” he said.

“But the best deal for Europe and for Britain would be if Britain were to lead the change that Europe needs.”

Home Secretary Theresa May and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said yesterday they would also abstain from any vote if the amendment was selected for debate by Speaker John Bercow on Wednesday.

Mrs May said she believed there was a need for change in Europe but declined to comment on whether she would vote to leave the union if a referendum was held tomorrow.

“What I want to see is work done to make sure we get a renegotiated deal, a renegotiated settlement, and then have that put to the British people,” she said.

Mr Hammond said the significance of the split vote had been “enormously inflated”.

“We are all violently agreeing here: we all believe there needs to be a referendum on Europe; we all believe that the British people need to have a say; and we also all agree that we need to make very clear to the public that commitment to a referendum,” he said.

“Now some of our backbench colleagues think that the best way to do that is to bring forward a Bill in this Parliament that would be almost certain to be defeated because it won’t be supported by the Liberal Democrats and it will be opposed by the Labour Party.”

A draft Bill could instead be published before the next election to demonstrate what legislation would look like if the Tories win a majority in 2015, he said.

Mr Baron, MP for Basildon and Billericay, said without legislation, the Tories’ pledge to deliver a referendum by 2017, was “credible” but “not yet believable” and passing paving legislation would be a “concrete way of demonstrating serious intent”. Writing in a Sunday newspaper, he said he and supporters would use “every means possible” to bring forward legislation, such as private member’s bills, in the coming weeks.

Downing Street has indicated Mr Cameron is “relaxed” about the prospect of a vote on the subject and said he was prepared to “look at all ways of strengthening his commitment”.

Comment: Page 10.