LONDON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A bill for a referendum on British membership in the European Union is headed for the Lords after being released Friday by the House of Commons.
The measure passed its third reading with no opposition votes, The Guardian reported. Opposition members tried the British equivalent of a filibuster, attempting to run out the parliamentary clock with long speeches.
The Conservative Party supports holding a referendum by 2017. Its coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, and the opposition Labor Party are against it.
In the Lords, the bill will be presented by Michael Dobbs, aka Baron Dobbs of Wylye, a Conservative politician best known for writing the "House of Cards" trilogy. The books about a scheming Conservative politician, Francis Urquhart, became a trio of BBC miniseries.
James Wharton, the Conservative backbencher who guided the bill through the House, told the BBC he hopes the Lords will not amend the measure in an effort to scuttle it.
"The House of Lords is going to be difficult," Wharton said. "There are a number of challenges, but I think there is a very clear message that needs to be sent to them as well, which is that the democratically elected House of Commons has voted for this."
