European Treaty Referendum — 11 Jun 2003 at 16:21

I beg to move,

That this House believes that any Treaty providing a constitution for the European Union should only be ratified by Parliament once it has received the consent of the British people, democratically given in a referendum.

I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:

"notes that previous governments rejected referendums on previous constitutional treaties such as the Single European Act and Maastricht, both of which involved greater change than the draft Treaty proposed by the Convention on the Future of Europe; believes that since the proposals of the Convention do not involve any fundamental change in the relationship between the EU and its Member States, there is no case for a referendum; and notes that any proposals from the Convention are a matter for unanimous agreement by an Inter-Governmental Conference, and then endorsement by the Parliament of the United Kingdom."

Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question:-

The House divided: Ayes 155, Noes 293.

Debate in Parliament | Historical Hansard | Source |