Last-ditch protests to kill off EU constitution ignored as Brown forces through Lisbon Treaty

He forced through the Lisbon Treaty despite a last-ditch attempt by Tory peers to delay its ratification until October.

They were out-voted in the Lords by Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Mr Jellyfish: Tory leader David Cameron accused Gordon Brown of being 'spineless' over the EU treaty

The document, the near-identical replacement for the constitution that collapsed in 2005, now awaits the formality of Royal Assent to become the law of the land.

Britain is the 19th EU country to ratify the treaty without a referendum.

If it comes into force with ratification by all 27 states, it will eliminate the British veto in up to 61 areas of policy and will reduce British voting power in the EU by a third.

Mr Brown's determination to press ahead appeared to fly in the face of a growing popular revolt breaking out against the treaty in the EU.

The Czech government confirmed last night that it has suspended ratification in the wake of last week's shock 'no' vote in a referendum in Ireland.

Amid angry exchanges in the Commons, David Cameron accused the Prime Minister of showing less spine 'than a jellyfish' over the Irish result.

Ireland's decisive vote against the Lisbon Treaty effectively stopped it in its tracks and plunged the EU into turmoil.

Determined: Eurosceptic members of the European Parliament call on the EU to respect Ireland's rejection of the treaty during a debate

EU leaders, including Mr Brown, meet in Brussels tonight to try to find a way out of the impasse amid fears that France and Germany will try to ram the treaty past Irish objections.

Since the Irish result, Mr Brown has insisted that the EU rules requiring all 27 member states to approve a treaty before it comes into force should be observed.

But he has pointedly refused to declare the treaty dead. Instead he has said it is up to Ireland to resolve the problem.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Brown paraded his credentials as a Euro-enthusiast and accused the Tories of being 'viscerally anti-EU'.

He told Mr Cameron: 'If you want to lead your party, why are you being led by the backbencher anti-Europeans, who are dictating the tune every time?'

But the Tory leader said Irish voters had already expressed their view.

He accused Mr Brown and other European leaders of trying to pressurise Dublin into a second referendum to reverse the result.

'Which part of "no" doesn't the Prime Minister understand?,' Mr Cameron demanded.

'The Prime Minister says he doesn't want to bully Ireland, but doesn't he understand that continuing with the ratification process is doing precisely that?'

Czech president Vaclav Klaus, who opposes the treaty, questioned why Britain is continuing with ratification in the wake of Ireland's referendum rejection.

'Ireland clearly said with its 'no' that the treaty is finished. I think patients should be resuscitated and not treaties,' he said.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, urged EU countries to act quickly to resolve the crisis and said the eight that have not yet ratified the treaty should do so soon.

But his comments went against those of Irish Premier Brian Cowen, who said Ireland could not be 'rushed into a quick fix'.