Lib-Dems rescue Brown over Treaty referendum

Up to 30 Labour MPs are threatening to back a cross-party amendment demanding a referendum on the treaty. However, Gordon Brown was all but guaranteed victory when the 63-strong group of Lib-Dem MPs said they would abstain. With Labour's majority of 158 over the Conservatives few anticipate a defeat.

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In a further boost to the Prime Minister, a handful of pro-European Conservatives are expected to defy a three-line whip and oppose the amendment.

The Labour rebels were emboldened by a report from the cross-party foreign affairs select committee which says the treaty is substantially the same as the 2005 EU constitution which was thrown out three years ago.

Labour MP Gisela Stuart said: "We made a very clear promise of a referendum at the last election We must keep our promise."

Her criticisms were echoed by Michael Connarty, the Labour chairman of the Commons European scrutiny committee who said the treaty paved the way for a "massive and fundamental shift" of power to Europe.

But Gordon Brown says there is no need for a referendum as the Lisbon-accord protects Britain's red lines — areas such as taxation and defence which remain in the control of the individual member states.

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The Conservatives said that Mr Brown, on a four-day visit to China and India, would not be present for tonight's vote.

Shadow foreign secretary William Hague compared this to his late-showing at the Lisbon summit. "The Prime Minister, who was prepared to sign the EU Treaty but not in front of the cameras, is now the Prime Minister who wants to ram the treaty through Parliament but not vote for it himself."

Europe Minister Jim Murphy said there was no credible opposition to the treaty.

I Want A Referendum, the crossparty campaign group which is co-ordinating opposition to the treaty, is to hold public votes in all Labour and LibDem marginal seats to persuade MPs to support the cause.

It means half a million people in marginal constituencies will get their chance to vote on the revived EU Constitution as part of the biggest vote on Europe since 1975.

The first referendum, to be carried out by the Electoral Reform Services, will be in Europe Minister Jim Murphy's Scottish seat of East Renfrewshire, where there is a majority of 6,657.

Despite the growing coalition, Mr Murphy yesterday claimed there was no "credible" opposition to the Lisbon Treaty besides the Conservatives.

He told the Observer: "Who opposes this treaty in Europe? The Animal party in the Netherlands, the Greek Communist party, Sinn Fein and the British Conservative Party."

But Labour MP Gisela Stuart said: "We made a very clear promise of a referendum at the last election.

"No one really believes for a second that this is a 'fundamentally different document'.

"We must keep our promise. These referendums will give people the chance to have the vote which the Government is trying to take away from them. Gordon Brown must listen."

Conservative MPs, increasing ranks of Labour MPs, some unions and a number of LibDems have called for a referendum, with an estimated two-thirds or more of the public also anxious to be given a say.

European politicans, including former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, admit the two documents are identical - further undermining the Government's case.

In its report, the Foreign Affairs Committee accused the Government of downplaying the significance of changes contained in the treaty.

It warned that playing down the importance of the new institutions was "unlikely to be beneficial to the UK's position in Europe".

The committee said: "We conclude that there is no material difference between the provisions on foreign affairs in the Constitutional Treaty which the Government made subject to approval in a referendum and those in the Lisbon Treaty on which a referendum is being denied.

"We recommend that the Government should publicly acknowledge the significance of the foreign policy aspects of the Lisbon Treaty."