Anti-EU treaty protestors scale crane outside Parliament as poll shows 88 per cent want a referendum

Activists clambered onto the crane early this morning before unravelling banners proclaiming "Referendum Now" and "Give Us Our Vote".

It comes two days before MPs are set to vote on a Conservative amendment to the EU Treaty Bill, calling for a referendum on the issue.

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Two men had managed to scale the structure and secure the banners.

Today's protest comes less than a week after climate change protesters breached security at Westminster by climbing on to the roof of the Houses of Parliament to demonstrate against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

The crane towers hundreds of feet over the south west corner of Parliament Square.

EU campaigners said yesterday that in a series of mini-referendums held nationwide, 88 per cent demanded a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, which surrenders a raft of British powers to Brussels.

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And 89 per cent said Britain should not approve the controversial treaty, according to the unofficial ballots held in ten marginal Labour and Lib-Dem parliamentary constituencies.

Organisers said the result was a "magnificent victory" that sent a clear message to the Prime Minister and the Lib-Dems not to break election pledges to support a national vote.

The I Want A Referendum group, which is backed by MPs of all parties, said 152,520 people voted, with 133,251 demanding a say on the revived EU constitution.

They claimed the 36.2 per cent turnout was higher than the average for local council elections since 1996, giving the result more authority.

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Constituencies where mini-referendums were held included those of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, Europe Minister Jim Murphy and Lib-Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne.

MPs are preparing to vote on Wednesday on whether to hold a referendum on the treaty.

IWAR predicted 30 Labour rebels would vote for a referendum, with up to 30 more prepared to join them if they felt one could be won.

Critics dismissed the mini-referendums as a "flawed exercise" and "unrepresentative".

But the result echoed a referendum by the Daily Mail in 2003 when nine out of ten demanded the right to a vote on the European constitution, which was superceded by the Lisbon Treaty.

IWAR chairman Derek Scott, a former economics adviser to Tony Blair, said: "This is a clear message to those members of the Liberal Democrat and Labour Parties who have broken promises that they gave at the last election to have a referendum on this treaty."

Mr Scott rejected suggestions that only those opposed to the treaty had voted.

He said the results represented a "broad cross-section" of the public

Ballot papers were sent to every person on the publicly available electoral roll.

The poll was carried out by Electoral Reform Services, a firm of independent election scrutineers recognised by the Government and the UN.

But higher education minister Bill Rammell, whose Harlow constituency had a mini-referendum, said: "Why ten Labour and Liberal Democrat marginal constituencies?

"Why not one referendum in Ken Clarke's constituency, who is arguing against a referendum?"

IWAR said it did not hold mini-referendums in Tory seats because David Cameron backed a national vote.

Gordon Brown and Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg argue that a referendum is unnecessary because the treaty is "fundamentally different" from the constitution rejected by the French and Dutch in 2005.

But that claim has been undermined by the Labour-dominated Foreign Affairs Committee, which concluded it is virtually identical to its predecessor.

Labour MP and IWAR adviser Kate Hoey said: "I hope that many of my colleagues will realise that they meant what they said when they went to their electorate and got elected on a manifesto of 'We will have a referendum'."

Tory foreign affairs spokesman William Hague said: "It is time for Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg to listen to the people and keep their promise, rather than continue with the giant act of dishonesty in which they are now engaged."