EUROSCEPTIC hopes of legislation in this Parliament to force a referendum on Britain's EU membership were boosted today after the ballot for Private Members Bills was won by Stockton South MP James Wharton who voted for last night's rebel amendment.

Mr Wharton will come under intense pressure to adopt the draft Bill published on Tuesday by the Conservative Party, which would require an in/out referendum by the end of 2017 on the question: Do you think that the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union?

Mr Wharton was one of 114 Tory MPs who voted against the Queen's Speech in a House of Commons vote last night on an amendment regretting that the Government's agenda for the coming year does not contain any referendum legislation.

Seizing first place in the ballot gives him the first chance to table a Private Members Bill. Other supporters of last night's amendment to claim high places in the ballot included Tories Jonathan Lord (Woking) in third place and Dan Byles (Warwickshire North) in fifth.

“The Conservative Party has committed to holding a referendum by the end of 2017 and I believe Parliament should be given a chance to show its support for the Prime Minister’s position and enshrine this commitment in law," he said.

 

"I will be bringing forward a Bill to give people a say on our membership and hope that MPs from across the political divide will support me.

"Like many people I am not old enough to have had a say when the original 1975 referendum took place.  I think it is time for people to have their say again and I am delighted to get the opportunity to bring forward this important Bill.”

MPs topping the ballot are able to table a Bill on a subject of their choosing, but it is relatively rare for them to reach the statute book without the assistance of the Government because of the shortage of time for backbench legislation and the opportunities for opponents to talk out the Bill.

Liberal Democrats yesterday made clear that Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg does not intend to allow Government time to be used to push through a referendum Bill, arguing it is needed for legislation on priorities like the economy and jobs.

Some eurosceptics might be hoping for a Private Members Bill to require a referendum before or at the time of the 2015 election, which would create additional headaches for Mr Cameron.

Last night's vote - which saw a total of 130 MPs, including 13 Conservative ministerial aides, vote against the Queens Speech - was described by Labour as a devastating blow to the Prime Minister's authority.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: "It demonstrates that David Cameron has managed to turn a Europe issue into a leadership issue.

"This is a Prime Minister who has lost control of the agenda and tonight lost control of his party."

But Mr Cameron, who returned from a visit to the United States today, insisted nothing could be read into the result because he gave backbenchers a free vote.

"I don't think people can read in anything really to the scale of that free vote, said the PM last night Not least because only the Conservative Party has a very clear position and a very clear policy about what needs to happen in Europe," he said.

Business Secretary Vince Cable will today brand advocates of EU withdrawal self-indulgent and reckless and claim that a British pull-out would mean an exodus of international firms from the UK and the loss of thousands of jobs.

No serious friend of British business would call for a break-up of the UK's place at the European table, the Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister will tell a business conference in Birmingham.