LibDems sink vote on treaty, denying Britons a say on EU constitution

A Tory attempt to force a referendum on the rejigged treaty in the House of Lords was defeated by 280 votes to 218, a majority of 62.

The result kills off any hope that Labour will honour its manifesto pledge to hold a national poll over handing vast swathes of powers to Brussels.

Lord McNally sitting next to Baroness Thatcher at the State Opening of Parliament: He refused demands to abstain from the vote

Three months ago, Nick Clegg had ordered his party to abstain on a similar vote in the Commons. He sacked three members of his frontbench who refused to do so.

The LibDem leader even led his MPs in a Commons walkout after the Speaker refused to put their amendment for an 'In or Out' EU referendum to a vote of MPs.

But last night, the party's peers sided with the Government over the constitution, now renamed the Lisbon Treaty.

During last night's debate, Tory foreign affairs spokesman the Lords, Lord Howell of Guildford, claimed that voters had been hoodwinked by the Government, which insists the treaty is different from the constitution.

'We are told again and again that this treaty is different when we can plainly see that it is the same,' he said.

'All three parties faithfully promised to grant the public a say on such a fundamental and overtly constitutional project. The Government has now defaulted.'

Tories claimed last night's U-turn was evidence of Mr Clegg's collapsing authority within his party.

They say he was forced to back down after senior pro-European LibDems, including the party's Lords leader Lord McNally, refused his demand to abstain.

But the LibDem whips office in the Lords said they had decided to vote against the Tories' referendum amendment because the Commons had already made its position clear  -  and that took primacy.