Anger as debate on EU treaty is cut

Gordon Brown has caused anger among MPs by trying to cut in half the amount of time Parliament will have to debate the EU Reform Treaty.

Backbenchers from both parties warned last night that the Prime Minister's move - which they will try, jointly, to defeat in a Commons vote on Monday - will fuel calls for a referendum.

Gordon Brown during talks with Queen Rania of Jordan in Davos. At home he is facing growing unrest over the EU

Mr Brown has repeatedly said there is no need for a referendum on the treaty, the successor to the abandoned European Constitution, because MPs will be given ample time to debate it in the House of Commons.

Only recently, the Government was reassuring the pro-referendum MPs of all parties that they would get 20 to 25 days to debate the Bill and raise their concerns.

But with the whips worried about the level of discontent over the transfer of power to Europe - and continuing resentment over ministers' refusal to grant a referendum - they have caused more dissent by telling MPs to expect just 12 days of Commons time for detailed discussion.

Equally controversial is a decision to give a specific theme to each day's debate, with the topics chosen by ministers. Labour MPs said this was an attempt to "swerve" round sensitive issues.

Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Hemsworth, set the stage last night for the biggest Labour rebellion since Mr Brown came to power by tabling amendments against the Government's timetable before Monday's vote. "These plans are an attempt to limit debate. I have not seen anything like it in 12 years as an MP," he said.

The Tories made clear they would vote against the timetable. William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said: "Gordon Brown's poor excuse for breaking his referendum promise was that Parliament would have time to debate it in depth. Even that promise is being broken. Not only will there now be 12 days of scrutiny, the Government has cut back the time for the renamed EU Constitution's most important provisions - on new EU powers over home affairs and on the EU president.

"Mr Brown's focus is clearly on ramming this treaty through by hook or by crook."

The Bill to ratify the treaty was granted a second reading on Monday after Speaker Michael Martin refused to call a rebel Labour amendment demanding a referendum. Despite this, 19 Labour MPs still voted against.

To vote against a Bill at second reading is described by the whips as a "hanging offence". An official close to talks on the Bill said ministers had at no time promised any set number of days for debate. He said ministers were being "very generous".

The outcry among MPs comes as a YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph found that 64 per cent now believe there should be a referendum on the EU treaty, with 42 per cent saying they would vote no.