Mark was present at Westminster to for the European Union (Referendum) Bill, a Private Members Bill, brought forward by Conservative back bencher James Wharton, designed to facilitate an In/Out referendum across the United Kingdom, by the end of 2017 at the latest.
In introducing the Bill, James Wharton explained it was designed to allow an incoming Conservative Government to renegotiate our relationship with the European Union - with the results of that renegotiation being put the British people in a referendum.
James argued that after so many years since the original 1975 referendum and given that there has been so much change in the EU since that time, the British people must be asked for their consent regarding our relationship with Europe. In the division that followed at the end of the debate the Bill was given a Second Reading by 304 votes to (as Labour and the Liberal Democrats abstained).
Commenting on today’s vote in the Commons, Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, said:
“As someone who has served as the Conservative Party’s European spokesman in the past, I was absolutely delighted to see the Referendum Bill being given a Second Reading in the House of Commons today. I believe that my constituents, and indeed people across the country, should be allowed their say on our future relationship with Europe and this Bill, backed by the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party, will allow that to become a reality. I congratulate James Wharton and I wish this Bill Godspeed.”