YOUR readers will be aware of the debate that has been raging recently regarding the Lisbon Treaty and the calls for a referendum Indeed, hundreds of Wyre Forest residents have responded to my petition that I have been collecting for the last six months calling for this referendum, and I believe the response reflects the fact that Wyre Forest residents are truly fed up with the Government's position.

That position is that Labour was elected on a manifesto that promised a referendum on the EU Constitution, but they have since reneged on their manifesto pledge and are simply forcing the EU Lisbon Treaty (a constitution by another name) through parliament.

Worryingly, the Liberal Democrats have adopted the same position.

Politics is all about trust and it is vital that any party that stands for election on a manifesto pledge must stand by that pledge. That is why the Conservative Parliamentary Party tabled the amendment that asked for an opportunity to give the people their promised referendum - a referendum that in all probability would have resulted in an outcome that would have been bad for the Government.

I am delighted that after Wyre Forest residents told me through my petition that they wanted a referendum, Wyre Forest's Independent MP voted in support of the Conservative motion to hold that referendum.

That is a good thing and I thank him for doing so. But I would stress one very important point about this and it is the fact that without the Conservative amendment, he would not have been able to vote on Wyre Forest's behalf at all. It needed a strong political party to be able to even bring the possibility of a referendum, and that is why, ultimately, political parties dominate in Westminster - their strength lies in numbers.

Conservatives will continue to campaign for a referendum as the Bill passes to the House of Lords. In the meantime, all we need is a general election so that the electorate can show Labour what they think of their broken manifesto pledge.

MARK GARNIER Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Wyre Forest