Britain’s politicians will today make an historic decision. They’ll rule on whether we, the public, have a right to decide to remain in the EU – or they’ll tell us they’re perfectly capable of making that decision themselves.

The three big parties are against a motion calling for a referendum to be held on UK membership of the EU. They say cutting our links with Europe will have disastrous consequences, placing us outside the sphere of influence of one of the world’s most influential political and economic regions.

But there are many MPs – principally disaffected Conservatives – who are unhappy with the UK’s relationship with Europe and want to renegotiate. And Shropshire’s members sit on both sides of the fence.

Political insiders estimate that two thirds of Tory Party members are unhappy about Europe: half of those want us out while the other want us to renegotiate our ties.

However, only 10 Conservatives have been brave enough to publically declare their position by joining the Better Off Out group, which campaigns openly for withdrawal. A number of Labour MPs share their view.

Britain has always had a love-hate relationship with the Eurpean Union. Europe was one of the key issues for Harold Wilson during the 1960s and 1970s. Wilson’s Government lodged an application to join the European Community, though it was Edward Heath who negotiated Britain’s admission to the EC, alongside Denmark and Irelandin 1973. Since then, Europe has been ever-present on the political agenda.

The former Stafford and present Stone MP?Bill Cash, who has strong Shropshire connections, is chairman of the Eurosceptic European Foundation, which was created during the Maastricht Rebellion, the funding for which he organised. He has been behind other forms of Euro rebellion.

The issue of Europe divides Shropshire’s MPs, with Mark Pritchard, the Conservative MP for The Wrekin, typically forthright, saying: “It appears the Government have set their face against a referendum come what may. I think that is a mistake.”

The Eurosceptics do have support. Former West Midlands UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclaire handed in a 100,000-name petition to Downing Street calling for a public vote.

The motion proposed says: “This House calls upon the Government to introduce a bill in the next session of Parliament to provide for the holding of a national referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union, leave the European Union, or renegotiate the terms of its membership in order to create a new relationship based on trade and cooperation.”

David Cameron has made it clear that he expects Tories to vote against the motion. A three-line whip is expected to enforce order.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “I imagine we will establish the whipping arrangements nearer the time but we have a very clear policy on that and that is set out in the coalition agreement.

“We would expect MPs and ministers to follow the government’s policy.”

Ed Miliband is in agreement with the Prime Minister, viewing a potential referendum as being a distraction for the UK at a time when businesses need inward investment from other parts of the continent, as well as improved export opportunities.

The issue of Europe has been a ticking time bomb for the Conservative Party for generations – and tonight that ticking will get louder.

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Philip Dunne MP

Philip Dunne MP

I have been and remain a sceptic about the role of the EU interfering excessively in our daily lives here in Britain. I believe strongly that we should restore powers to Parliament that the previous Government gave to Brussels, reneging on its commitment to offer the British people a referendum before so doing.

But I do not believe that a referendum now would be in the national interest. So I shall put my country’s best interests first and vote tonight against the motion for a referendum.

Referenda in this country are used for the people to decide on constitutional change. This is why this Government has committed itself to hold a referendum should any further powers be proposed to be transferred from Britain to Brussels. This was enshrined in the European Act 2011, passed into law earlier this year.

There is currently no constitutional change on the table. The crisis in the Eurozone may well lead to proposals for treaty change, and if they do and would lead to Britain being asked to transfer powers to Europe, then this would quite properly be subject to a referendum.

The motion which will be debated today also calls for a referendum on whether we remain within or leave the EU. Such a referendum was never promised by the Conservatives in our manifesto. It is not Conservative policy. It is not the Coalition Government’s policy. This is why the Government has decided to impose a whip on Conservative MPs to vote against the motion.

As it happens I was appointed the Government Whip to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office two weeks ago, so it is my responsibility to implement.

I continue to believe we should remain within the EU, but not be ruled by it, nor should we join the Euro or bail-out the Eurozone.

The timing for a referendum should not be prescribed right now. The sudden holding of a referendum on leaving the EU would add significant political uncertainty to the existing economic uncertainty at a time when financial markets and businesses need all the certainty and confidence they can get.

It is also demonstrably not in Britain’s best interests to see the Eurozone collapse in disorder – it would certainly push us back into a disastrous recession.

But we should also use every opportunity to reduce the EU’s powers in Britain in other areas, most importantly in social and employment laws, where EU interference is doing real harm.

There may be debates about means and timing but the Conservative Party is united around the goal of bringing powers back from Brussels to Britain. That is what we stand for; that is our aim now and that is what we will campaign for in future elections.

Mark Pritchard MP

Mark Pritchard MP

Millions of people have never had a say on the European Question. Either they were not born in 1975, the time of the last referendum, or they simply weren’t old enough to vote.

For those who did vote, many share a genuine and increasing frustration that the welcome Common Market has now grown into a ‘not so welcome’ political union – a European Union that relentlessly gnaws away at British sovereignty week in – week out.

From the usurping of British courts by Europe’s eclectic mix of judges, to the over-regulation of British businesses, to the unpreparedness of many EU countries to take the necessary hard decisions, as Britain has done, to tackle their deficits and debts, European politicians and bureaucrats are increasingly out of step with Britain.

Next week Parliament will discuss bringing forward a Bill to allow for a national referendum. Not an immediate referendum – but paving the legislative path for a possible vote in 2013/14. The Motion is wide and inclusive, for example, a referendum on Britain remaining in a trading relationship with Europe. A trading plus approach.

It is not as some critics suggest a move towards an immediate in or out referendum. Ultimately, Parliament would debate the final wording of any Bill and subsequent referendum. In short, next week’s Motion merely sets the framework for the introduction of a Bill.

That is why it is both bizarre and unnecessary that all three major parties are enforcing a three-line whip, on Backbench Business, and on an issue that has come directly from Downing Street’s own e-petition initiative.

In effect the Government are whipping against the results of their own so-called democratic outreach. Enforcing a three-line whip on government business is often necessary – but to deploy such heavy handed whipping over Backbench business will not only backfire, but is also an affront to legitimate and representative parliamentary democracy.

Perhaps the Prime Minister let the European cat out of the bag at this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, when I asked him a question on European fiscal union. In reply the Prime Minister suggested there would no referendum in this Parliament.

It appears the government have set their face against a referendum come what may. I think that is a mistake. Politicians should never have anything to fear from the ballot box; that is why I will be voting ‘Yes’ to the Motion allowing for a referendum.

Daniel Kawczynski MP

Daniel Kawczynski MP

I am well aware of the strength of feeling over the motion relating to a National Referendum on the European Union that is due to be debated in the House of Commons on Monday.

Let me be clear, I am in favour of a referendum on the topic. The last time our country was given the opportunity to have a say on this issue was way back in 1975, when just over 67 per cent of voters backed the campaign of the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson to keep Britain in the EEC, or Common Market.

What cannot be overlooked however is the myriad of issues that we presently face in this country. This Government is working hard to take the very difficult but necessary decisions that are needed to sort out the dire economy that we inherited last year.

The difficult cuts that the Government are having to make mean many of my constituents are currently coming to see me as provisions they rely on like schools and hospitals are having to re-asses the service they can afford to provide.

On our domestic financial front, there has today been some encouraging news that Public sector net borrowing was lower than expected in September, at £14.1bn. This is down from £15.4bn in the same month in 2010. These are welcoming figures as the Government seek to eliminate the budget deficit in the course of this Parliament.

In Europe last weekend however, leaders were holding a summit in Brussels to broker a deal on how to increase a rescue fund which already stands at €440bn, for heavily indebted Eurozone countries like Greece.

To add to this exceptionally difficult situation, we now have the news that no decision is likely to be reached, and another summit is likely to be needed in the middle of next week.

In between these crucial talks will be the motion for a referendum on our Membership of the EU. With such a background of unprecedented financial turmoil amongst some of our main trading partners, it would be irresponsible and detrimental for us to add to that ambiguity by demanding a referendum on our membership of the EU at this moment.

The Prime Minister has already secured numerous victories on the continent for our nation. Our increase in annual contributions has seen a huge reduction from 6 per cent to 2.9 per cent and he has also ensured Britain is kept out of any future bailouts.

Any colleague questioning the reasoning of the Prime Minister on not holding an in/out referendum at this time ought to bear in mind that he is a practical Eurosceptic who has already won significant battles with his European counterparts and has relentlessly pursued Britain’s interests in Brussels since taking office.