UK House of Commons Lawmakers Support EU Membership Referendum Bill

UK lower house lawmakers backed Prime Minister David Cameron’s initiative to hold the referendum on the country’s membership in the European Union.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The lawmakers of the UK lower house voted Tuesday to back Prime Minister David Cameron’s initiative to hold the referendum on the country’s membership in the European Union by the end of 2017, local media reported.

According to the BBC, 316 parliamentarians of the House of Commons voted in favour of the EU Referendum Bill, while 53 voted against it.

The legislation will now be considered by the House of Lords, the upper house of the British parliament.

On Monday, the majority of the lawmakers voted against the Cameron-backed proposal to eliminate the so-called "purdah" rules. The rule stipulates that central and local authorities cannot publish anything that could influence the outcome of the vote during the 28-day period prior to the referendum.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is in the middle of an EU membership renegotiation campaign, with a nationwide referendum on the issue due to be held before the end of 2017.

Before holding the vote, Cameron is seeking a revision of the terms of Britain’s EU membership, including greater autonomy in defining national immigration policy.