Government facing defeat over Queen's Speech at hands of eurosceptic rebellion

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://news.sky.com/story/1698814/to...-queens-speech

Tory Brexit Rebels Try To Derail Queen's Speech


David Cameron is facing an embarrassing Queen's Speech defeat at the hands of a band of Conservative Eurosceptic MPs.

Lord Owen, the former Labour Foreign Secretary, campaigns for Vote Leave earlier today on the TTIP-NHS issue

Tory Brexit rebels are lining up to serve the Government the first defeat in a Queen's Speech vote in nearly 100 years.

Conservative Vote Leave MPs have signed a cross-party amendment to protect the NHS from the EU-US trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Labour is expected to support the amendment from the 25 MPs because "it's completely in line with our manifesto commitments in 2015".

The Labour Left fears TTIP contains provisions that could lead to the break up and privatisation of the NHS and other public services.

UKIP, the SNP and Plaid Cymru have also vowed to "protect" the NHS from TTIP in recent elections and by-elections.

No amendment on a Queen's Speech has been lost by a Government since 1924.

The closest to a defeat was the 2013 rebellion of 114 Tory MPs, including ministerial aides, on the omission of an EU Referendum law from that year's Queen's speech.

Declared signatories to the amendment include Conservatives Anne Marie Trevelyan, Steve Baker, and Peter Lilley. Jon Cruddas, Paula Sherriff, and Ian Mearns from Labour, and the SNP's Chris Stephens have also signed it.

It comes amid claims from Vote Leave that Downing Street is operating a dirty tricks campaign about prominent members of the Brexit camp.

Writing for Conservative Home, MP Steve Baker said: "I will not pretend the EU debate could be without its ferocious moments: we always expected this to be a passionate contest.

"What I did not expect was how quickly the Remain campaign would descend into insults, personal attacks and petty tabloid smears on key people."

He added: "That’s why the last few weeks have been so breathtakingly disheartening. I was appalled that such a distinguished figure as Lord Heseltine was used by Downing Street to attack Boris Johnson and convert the debate into one on personality not policy."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been consistently opposed to TTIP but maintains that staying in the EU is the best way to fight its provisions. Many in Westminster feel Jeremy Corbyn would be campaigning for Vote Leave if he were not under pressure as Labour Party leader.

Excellent. Grind it all to a complete halt if you have to.

There's little doubt in my mind that whether he wins this referendum or not, Cameron (and Osborne) are toast the week after. I'm even seriously considering signing up to the Conservative Party so that I can vote for Boris Johnson to become leader and thus Prime Minister post-referendum.

Thoughts?