Shropshire MP defies Cameron over EU vote

Tuesday 25th October 2011, 1:00PM BST.

David Cameron was today assessing the damage to his premiership after 79 Tory MPs – including Shropshire’s Mark Pritchard – defied him.

All voted against the Government for a referendum on Europe and the Prime Minister’s authority suffered a severe blow after he was struck by the biggest rebellion on Europe ever experienced by a Conservative PM.

Despite the revolt, the referendum bid was overwhelmingly rejected by a majority of 372. But the result will provide little comfort to the stricken Premier.

Tory Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, backed the PM.

Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary and North Shropshire MP, also voted with the Government, but lost his ministerial aide Stewart Jackson in the fall-out.

Telford’s Labour MP David Wright toed his party line and voted against.

Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies reluctantly voted against the motion as it was ‘unclear’ and ‘divisive of the Eurosceptic opinion’.

But Mr Pritchard disagreed, placing him in direct conflict with fellow county Tory colleague Philip Dunne, an assistant Government whip, whose job was to urge Tories to vote against a referendum.

Today, Mr Pritchard insisted it was ‘right that I put country first, party second and career last’.

Last night, in a speech to the Commons, he said fellow backers were not ‘rebels’, but ‘patriots’.

For more in-depth coverage, see today’s Shropshire Star

View more: Daniel Kawczynski Mp news, Glyn Davies Mp news, Mark Pritchard Mp news, Owen Paterson Mp news, Philip Dunne Mp news.

1
Jet

October 25, 2011 at 18:48

In a democracy the voice of the people SHOULD be heard, and our MP’s should reflect the wishes of the voters, not be threatened with “the Whips” when their vote is cast, to “toe the party line”.
For too long now we have seen our money squandered, our rights given away, our ways of life and government overridden by EU law makers.
Well done Mark Pritchard.

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2
Peter

October 25, 2011 at 20:06

I think the words ‘overwhelmingly rejected’ are the key ones in this article…

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