British PM loses parliamentary vote on EU budget

 • The PM lost the vote after rebels in his party ganged up with the Labor to demand a cut in the EU budget.

 • The motion was passed with 307 votes for and 294 votes against.

 • Cameron said he would veto any real terms rise in 2014-20 financial framework.

LONDON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a major defeat in a parliamentary vote on Wednesday, after rebels in his Conservative party ganged up with the Labor opposition to demand a cut in the EU budget.

The motion was passed with 307 votes for and 294 votes against, and signaled the biggest setback since the Conservative-Liberal coalition government came to power in May 2010.

Some 53 Conservative MPs back a motion demanding the prime minister to request a cut in the EU's 2014-20 budget when the European Union's leaders meet in Brussels next month.

Cameron had sought to rally Conservative loyalists, telling the House of Commons that "this government is taking the toughest line in these budget negotiations of any government since we joined the European Union."

Cameron said he would veto any real terms rise in 2014-20 financial framework.

Government supporters quoted by BBC also said it would be "nigh on impossible" to negotiate a budget reduction given the lack of support among other EU nations, and urged MPs to back Cameron's call for an inflation-linked rise as the minimum acceptable outcome.

But Conservative rebels said the Parliament would send a clear message and strengthen Cameron's hand if they had backed a spending cut.

Cameron warned European Council president Herman van Rompuy at talks in London last week that Britain, which does not use the euro currency, could not support a sharp increase in the EU budget.

Related:

Europeans need EU budget for job creation in crisis: EP President

BUCHAREST, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- People of Europe in times of crisis need a reasonable European budget to create jobs and stimulate economic growth, visiting European Parliament President Martin Schulz told Romanian lawmakers here on Wednesday.

"We are fighting for a reasonable EU budget, allowing increasing investments and job creation," Schulz said. Fulls tory

Danish PM threatens veto on EU budget

COPENHAGEN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Danish Prime Minister said here Thursday that Denmark would veto the upcoming, seven-year European Union (EU) budget if the country did not receive the one billion Danish kroner (174.2 million U.S. dollars) EU rebate per year that it has requested.

"We must have our rebate, and if we do not get it, we must exercise our veto. It is very, very simple," Helle Thorning-Schmidt said to the Europe Committee of Danish Parliament, in comments cited by Danish news agency Ritzau. Full story