UPDATE (7:30pm, Wed 5th March): The House of Commons have rejected a referendum of the EU treaty by 311 votes to 248. Thirteen LibDems rebelled and it is thought that 5 Conservatives did as well, although I do not have access to the Conservative or Labour rebel numbers yet. The Davidson amendment was rejected by 64 votes. It appears (tbc) that Vince Cable was loyal to the party leader. This is not a terrible result for the Nick Clegg and the LibDems, but for those people who continue to lose faith in politicians and the political process and who no longer believe a word even of our manifestos. Bravo.
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UPDATE (5pm, Wed 5th March): Apparently, Sky News is now reporting that three LD front benchers have quit - Tim Farron, David Heath and Alistair Carmichael, although Cowley Street have neither confirmed nor denied the story - apparently all calls are going straight to voicemail. More later…
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 UPDATE (2pm, Wed 5th March): I need to disappear soon to visit some constituents in my weekly surgery before campaigning, so please use the comments thread to keep readers updated - I will do my best to slot in items as best I can!
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UPDATE (1:30pm, Wed 5th March): I’ve just been reliably informed that the BBC are reporting the first resignation from the LibDem front bench happened this morning, before PMQs - did anyone see who was missing?
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 UPDATE (1:15pm, Wed 5th March): Now I’m completely confused. Nick Clegg has just accused Gordon Brown at PMQ’s of “bottling it”. He’s being eaten alive, but I actually have to respect him for his sheer Chutzpah and shamelessness.
BTW, anyone who wants a 2-minute break from the heavy tone and heart-stopping suspense of today can catch some snippets of humour courtesy of Ian Dale and Conservative Home.
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UPDATE (10:30am, Wed 5th March): It is being reported that last night Nick Clegg stayed firm on his demand that his MPs do not vote after tonight’s debate, at a meeting of the Parliamentary LibDems. This is despite there being another amendment to potentially vote for from Labour MP Ian Davidson. The Davidson amendment also demands a referendum, but also enables ministers to ask the wider question of Britain’s role in Europe - i.e. potentially hold a double referendum.
Surely Clegg should allow his MPs to vote on this, as it is the biggest compromise to his position to date? According to the Telegraph, one LibDem is quoted as saying “Nick is in trouble either way here: he either has to back down on the Davidson amendment or back down on the sackings. It’s not going to look good.” Even LibDem Voiceis backing a free vote for its MPs.
In another twist, it now appears that the Passerelle clause has been pushed through Parliament, meaning the EU will be able to dilute countries’ vetoes in the future, instead needing only qualified majority voting by heads of governments; therefore national Parliaments and people WILL lose their say over matters such as foreign policy.
Unfortunately, Nick Clegg is now on his own - a trawl through this week’s papers including the Independent, Times, Telegraph and Guardian (who even with Michael White’s sympathetic piece today, called the LD In-Out position a “figleaf”) are finding his stance incomprehensible.
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UPDATE (5pm, Tues 4th March): The Libdems have just lost their vote on amending the EU/Treaty debate by 471 to 68 Votes, although this was to be expected. Tomorrow, however, will be now be crunch time for the 16+ LD MPs who want a vote on the Lisbon Referendum.
The latest MORI polls show that 67% of LibDem voters do want a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, with 39% saying that they would be less likely to vote for the party again if they renege on their manifesto pledge, so it is decision time for many LD MPs. They will not be heartened by the current 25% satisfaction rating for Mr Clegg amongst LD supporters, so could there be a couple of surprises tomorrow?
I will be reporting back tomorrow with the outcome, in addition to news on how our local MP voted - watch this space….
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