Twice as many Tory MPs want Britain to pull out of the European Union as voted for a referendum last week, one of the leading rebel MPs has claimed.
Mark Reckless suggested that as many as half of the 306-strong Parliamentary party – over 150 MPs – were privately in favour of Britain withdrawing from Europe.
Speaking on on the BBC’s Politics Show, the MP for Rochester and Strood, said the proportion was “probably quite similar to the country as a whole”, pointing to a recent YouGov poll which claimed 52 per cent of peple want to come out of Europe and 31 per cent stay in.
His comments came as David Cameron braces himself for the first test of his authority since 81 Conservative MPs defied the Whip to vote in favour of a referendum on Britain’s relationship with Europe. There was considerable anger within the Cabinet at Mr Cameron’s decision to force Conservative MPs to vote against motion using Parliament whips.
Next week MPs will debate plans to approve the EU’s budget and are expected to demand a vote, which would be another blow to Mr Cameron.
There were also suggestions that backbench MPs could try to pressure the Government to veto plans for new taxes to fund EU’s £900billion budget.
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Afternoon Updates:
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12:24 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — Berlusconi Stays Defiant as Europe’s Crisis Focuses on Italy
12:25 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — EU Debt Deal a ‘Construct of Madoffian Proportions’: Economist
12:26 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — ILO: World economy on verge of new jobs recession
12:27 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — ECB head says Chinese help for eurozone is ‘normal’
12:33 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi is ‘more of a liability’ by the day
12:34 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — Italy Leads Euro-Area Bond Declines on Crisis-Fight Skepticism
12:43 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — Why what happens in Greece matters to you
12:44 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — Euro Zone’s Jobless Number Hits Record
12:47 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — MF Global files for bankruptcy amid eurozone crisis
12:49 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 – US stocks slide as eurozone optimism fades
12:52 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 – Up to 8 bln euros paid in bogus pensions
12:55 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 – Greece is looking for a new model
12:57 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — The Division of Europe
1:00 pm EDT, October 31st, 2011 — A 55 Billion Euro Windfall from ‘Germany’s Dumbest Bank’