SIR – Tomorrow in the House of Commons, MPs from all political parties will have the opportunity to vote for the British people to have a choice. A choice about Europe.
A choice that the British people have been asking for, while Europe and the European Parliament has expanded its reach, granted itself enhanced powers and grown its budgets.
Some Conservative MPs, myself included, while welcoming the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement, decided credibility was fundamental.
We put our collective foot down and forced the Government to put this referendum into legislation.
I am proud to say the Prime Minister has agreed to this and we are now moving forwards.
James Wharton MP’s European Union (Referendum) Bill has been presented and has now been strengthened sufficiently.
If the Bill passes the Government will have to hold a referendum by the end of 2017 and they will have to announce the date for the referendum before the end of 2016.
The vote for that Bill will take place tomorrow.
I will be in the Houses of Parliament tomorrow, an historic occasion, to do my part to give the British people the referendum they deserve.
This is not simply a question of ‘in or out’. This is about giving the public their democratic right to vote on an issue of extreme importance to our country and the future of our country in a fast-evolving world.
Whether the British people want to remain part of a European Union is entirely up to them, but I will do my utmost to ensure they are at least given a choice on the matter.
For me, tomorrow is going to be a very good day for more than one reason.
Sadly, Labour and the Liberal Democrats don’t want to give the British people a say. That’s why today, I’m calling for the people to back the Bill and ask Labour and the Liberal Democrats to unite behind it.
For the first time, the people can publicly cosponsor the Bill by visiting LetBritainDecide.com. They can be a part of history by putting their name to this campaign. That is what I did when Ifirst saw the opportunity.
This isn't just a Conservative campaign – it’s for everyone who believes we need a say.
BILL WIGGIN MP for North Herefordshire
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