MPs launch campaign for EU referendum
Thursday, 6 September 2007 12:00 AM
A cross-party group of MPs is launching a nationwide campaign to force Gordon Brown to call a referendum on the EU treaty.
The campaign, labelled simply "I want a referendum", will be rolled out across the country over the next two months and will feature cinema adverts designed to reach an audience of one million people.
Labour MPs will join with Liberal Democrats and Conservatives for the official launch outside the Houses of Parliament today.
The group will unveil a giant ballot box to highlight their demand for a vote; the campaign is focusing on the need for a vote per se rather than the relative merits of the EU treaty.
The campaign is chaired by the economist Derek Scott, a Eurosceptic and former adviser to Tony Blair.
He is joined by Conservative MPs including Michael Gove, Greg Hands, Nick Herbert. Lib Dem MP David Heath has also joined the group and is one of a number of MPs calling for Menzies Campbell to back the pro-referendum lobby.
Labour MPs supporting the campaign include Gisela Stuart, who was part of the delegation that drew up the original EU constitution, Graham Stringer, Frank Fields and Kate Hoey.
Ms Stuart said: "What we will show is that this is nothing to do with factional party politics.
"Many of us believe in the merits of co-operation between states in a European Union on matters where it is best to look for pan-European solutions. But we can only build that kind of Europe if we have the consent of the people."
Despite regular confrontations over the EU treaty, Mr Brown insists he will not backtrack - unless the document is modified from its current form.
Mr Miliband said a referendum is not necessary because the original constitution has been "abandoned" and the treaty can instead be approved by parliament.
The foreign secretary denies claims the Labour Party is increasingly split over the issue.
It had previously been reported more than 100 Labour MPs supported calls for a referendum. Ian Davidson, MP for Glasgow South West, said up to 120 MPs privately supported his campaign for the treaty to be amended or put to a public vote.
The GMB and RMT unions have also backed calls for a referendum, racing the possibility Mr Brown will have to face down the unions at next week's TUC conference.
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