MEDIA
RELEASE
12th November 2003
Embargo:
Immediate
BLAIR'S MAJORITY CRUMBLES OVER
EU CONSTITUTION REFERENDUM
A new
survey of MPs shows half the number of Labour MPs needed to force a
referendum on the EU Constitution have already committed themselves
to rebel. Referendum supporters and undecideds now outnumber those intending
to vote the Government line in the House of Commons.
The all-party Democracy Movement - a constituency-based movement campaigning
against the EU Constitution - has compiled 457 MPs responses to letters
from constituents over the last 12 months.
51 Labour MPs committed themselves to vote for a referendum and a further
51 admitted to being undecided. 123 said they would back the Government
but if this level of support (55%) is representative of the whole Labour
backbench it would not be enough to block a referendum.
Across all parties, 58 undecideds added to the 273 committed referendum
supporters equals a Commons majority of 4.
Russell Walters, Director of the Democracy Movement, said:
"These
figures probably understate the Government's difficulties. We are
yet to ask 184 Labour MPs and there are likely to be some referendum
supporters among them.
"For example, Gordon Brown supporter Clare Short said on BBC Question
Time on 23rd October that she was 'moving towards' supporting a referendum.
"If the Chancellor continues to signal a growing euroscepticism, we
expect more backbenchers will feel emboldened to support a referendum.
More MPs may already have come over as we have been collecting these
figures for a year".
CONSTITUENCY CAMPAIGNS
The Democracy Movement, which has 120 branches, will campaign in their
constituencies to persuade undecided MPs to vote for a referendum, concentrating
on those with small majorities. 40 of the undecideds have majorities
of less than 10,000.
A number of high-profile europhiles e.g. Ken Clarke (Con maj:7,357),
John Gummer (Con maj:4,326) and Stephen Twigg (Lab maj:
5,546), Tony Blair, John Prescott, Denis McShane
and Peter Hain will also be targetted to make an example.
This campaign, 'Let the People Decide' is being run in association
with other groups including Referendum04 (headed by Neil Herron the
Metric Martyrs campaigner) and Labour Euro Safeguards run by Austin
Mitchell MP and Camden councillor John Mills.
Constituency campaigns will include local advertising and mass leafleting,
street stalls, public meetings and demonstrations, surgery visits and
constituents' delegations to Parliament. A group of constituents are
already planning to attend Peter Mandelson's surgery in Hartlepool in
early December.
Russell Walters commented:
"There
will be an explosion of People Power. Local voters will tell their
parliamentary representatives: 'There is no mandate from the last
general election for this Constitution. You have no right to create
a Constitution that will be our supreme law without consulting us
first in a referendum'."
<ENDS>
For
more information, contact Marc Glendening or
Russell Walters on 020 7491 3072.
E-mail: mail@democracymovement.org.uk
NOTES:
- A summary
of results of our MPs survey, including breakdown by party, can
be viewed here
(MS Excel format).
- The
full list of responding MPs and where they stand on file so far
can be viewed here
(MS Excel format).
- To
join or contribute to our campaign, readers should call our Campaign
Hotline on 08705 110 440 or write to: Democracy Movement, 51 Charles
Street, London W1J 5ES
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