By Nick Griffiths

Last updated at 12:13, Thursday, 01 November 2012

Carlisle MP John Stevenson stayed loyal to the Government and voted against Tory rebels who combined with Labour to inflict a damaging defeat on the coalition over Europe.

Voted against rebels: Carlisle MP John Stevenson

The Conservative, who has called for a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU), last night sided against a rebel Commons amendment aiming to force the EU to cut spending.

Fifty-three Conservative MPs defied the whips and joined Labour in supporting the amendment demanding ministers seek a real-terms cut in the next seven-year EU budget for 2014-20.

The announcement of the 307 to 294 vote defeat for the coalition – its first of significance since assuming power in 2010 – was greeted with loud cheers by Eurosceptics on the Tory benches.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls described the result as a “humiliating defeat” for Prime Minister David Cameron.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg insisted that he and Mr Cameron were “absolutely united” in the view that the best strategy for Britain was to press for a real-terms freeze, with the budget continuing to rise with inflation.

He said that under the proposals backed by Labour, failure to reach agreement next month in Brussels would mean the reversion to one-year budgets which would be even more costly to the UK.

Mr Stevenson joined a back-bench rebellion last year calling for a referendum on EU membership.

Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell, a Conservative, also stayed loyal to the Government in the vote. Then in January he announced he was signing the People’s Pledge, a national campaign for a referendum.

Although last night’s vote is not binding, Eurosceptic rebels made clear the Prime Minister could not afford to return from next month’s crunch summit in Brussels with anything less than a real-terms cut.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said ministers would “hear and take notice” of what Parliament had said but indicated that they would not change their negotiating position.

First published at 12:00, Thursday, 01 November 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk