UK MPs to vote on 'in-out' EU referendum

The House of Commons will vote later on whether to hold an in-out referendum on UK membership of the European Union.

A bill proposed by Tory MP James Wharton is being backed by his party leadership, but is opposed by the Liberal Democrats.

Very few Labour and Lib Dem MPs are expected to attend the debate.

The private member's bill is expected to pass this first test easily but will face much stronger opposition later in its passage through Parliament.

Conservative MPs were invited to a barbecue at 10 Downing Street on Thursday evening, where Mr Wharton said he was "confident" the legislation would gain its second reading in the Commons.

He added that the bill had the "full support" of David Cameron and his ministers.

The prime minister has promised that, if the Conservatives win an outright Commons majority at the next election, he will hold a referendum by the end of 2017.

This would follow a renegotiation of the UK's relationship with Brussels.

The pledge followed pressure from Tory backbench MPs and recent strong election and opinion poll showings from the UK Independence Party, which advocates withdrawal from the EU.

However, Lib Dem opposition has meant the referendum plans could not be turned into a government bill, which would give it more parliamentary time than a private member's bill.

Mr Wharton - the youngest Conservative in the Commons - agreed to propose the legislation after he came top in a ballot of MPs.

If the bill gains its second reading on Friday, it is likely to face stiffer opposition at the later committee and third reading stages.

The Labour and Lib Dem leaderships have suggested that their MPs should not attend the debate, which begins at about 09:30 BST.

Meanwhile, the CBI business leaders' organisation has warned that a "halfway house" Norwegian or Swiss-style relationship with the European Union would not be better than full membership for the UK.

Anna van Densky

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