Britain needs a proper debate before the EU referendum

David Cameron, the Prime Minister, faces MPs’ questions about his much-criticised EU reforms

Britain faces one of the most important decisions in the modern history of the nation. In a matter of months, we will be invited to cast our ballots in a referendum that will significantly influence how rich and free we are, define our place in the world and perhaps even our idea of ourselves.

Yet a casual observer of the debate on the European Union in the House of Commons yesterday would be forgiven for failing to grasp this importance. With a few honourable exceptions, MPs did not rise to the moment.

 Instead of facing detailed questions on the changes he proposes to make to our EU membership, David Cameron found himself largely unopposed, able to extol the case for staying with all the forceful charisma that befits the dominant politician of the day.

He even went unchallenged when he urged Conservative MPs to ignore the views of local party associations on the European question, an extraordinary stance for a Tory leader to take.