A CONSERVATIVE MP has hit out at Liberal Democrat MPs over their views on the EU Constitution and whether Britain should sign up to it.

Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, criticised Liberal Democrat peers who have indicated that they would not vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty when the amendment is considered by the House of Lords.

Mr Evans said: "The House of Lords has the opportunity to hold the Government to account and ensure that they do what they promised in their election manifesto, namely hold a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty.

"My predecessor as MP for the Ribble Valley, Lord Waddington, made an excellent speech in the House of Lords two days ago. He said that the vast majority of people concede that the constitutional treaty and the Lisbon treaty have, to all intents and purposes, the same effect. In so far as there are differences, they are there for one specific purpose: to give Governments such as ours an excuse to go back on their undertaking to hold a referendum.

"I could not agree with him more. The Lisbon Treaty is a cut and paste version of the original Constitutional text. The people of the UK should have their say in a referendum and so it is hugely disappointing that having had a farcical abstention in the Commons."