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The Conservatives' referendum bill was backed unanimously after Labour and the Liberal Democrats boycotted the vote (Photo: murphyz)

UK's EU referendum moves a step closer

Britain took another step towards an in/out referendum on its membership of the EU on Friday (5 July) after MPs unanimously backed a bill guaranteeing a vote by the end of 2017.

The bill, which was tabled by Conservative back-bench MP James Wharton, but has the support of prime minister David Cameron, would bind the next parliament to hold an 'in/out' vote on EU membership.

However, in a rare twist of parliamentary procedure, the bill was supported by 304 MPs, fewer than 50 per ce...

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Conservatives' referendum bill was backed unanimously after Labour and the Liberal Democrats boycotted the vote (Photo: murphyz)

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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