MP’s EU vote

Prime Minister David Cameron instructed his party to reject a motion calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.

However, the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough Edward Leigh, joined with 110 of his parliamentary colleagues in voting for the motion calling for a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union on Monday 24th October.

The majority of the MPs supporting the motion made a demonstration of independence by voting against the instructions of their own Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat party whips.

Mr Leigh, who has represented Gainsborough in Parliament since 1983, is a public supporter of the People’s Pledge campaign arguing that Britain’s relationship with the EU should be put to a vote.

“Is not the crux of the matter this?” Mr Leigh asked from the floor of the chamber during the debate, “If we live in a democracy, shouldn’t the people have a voice?”

Mr Leigh argued that a greater portion of the British population were either not yet born or not of voting age in 1975 - the year of the last and only referendum on the UK-EU relationship

“Do they not have a right to vote?” Mr Leigh asked the MPs gathered to debate in the chamber.

Writing in his column for the Gainsborough Standard, Mr Leigh asserted that: “the general feeling is clear in Great Britain that we do not want to be a province of a European superstate, that we would like to maintain our sovereignty and independence, and that many of the powers we have already handed over to Brussels should in fact be returned.”