EU referendum bill killed off in House of Lords
A bill to enshrine an EU referendum in law has been killed off in the House of Lords.
Peers have voted to end the committee stage of the legislation, meaning it has run out of time to get through.
The Tory MP behind the bill, James Wharton, blamed Labour and Lib Dem parliamentarians for killing it off for party political reasons.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said his pledge for a referendum in 2017 would stand even if the bill fails.
Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande, Mr Cameron said "whether the bill succeeds or fails" it made "no difference to the pledge I am making on this in-out referendum".
Following news that the bill had failed, Mr Cameron tweeted: "As Labour and the Lib Dems have killed the Wharton Bill, the one way to guarantee a referendum is to vote Conservative at the Gen Election."
Mr Wharton's private members bill was seen by Tory backbenchers as a way of strengthening the prime minister's commitment to an in-out vote.
BBC Parliamentary Correspondent Mark D'Arcy said he would not be surprised if the Conservatives made a fresh attempt to get the legislation onto the statute books later this year.
Peers voted by 180 to 130, a majority of 50, to end the debate of the EU (Referendum) Bill at committee stage in the Lords.
The debate could resume next week but, with only one sitting Friday left in the Commons before the end of the current parliamentary session in May, it is now impossible for the Bill to become law.
Speaking outside the chamber, the Tory chief whip in the Lords, Baroness Anelay of St Johns, blamed Labour.
And Mr Wharton tweeted: "Lab + Lib Dem Lords have killed my Bill, the bidding of their political masters. Only the Conservatives will #letbritaindecide."
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