WINCHESTER MP Steve Brine was among three Hampshire Tory MPs today set to defy the Prime Minister by demanding a quickfire referendum on whether Britain should quit the European Union.

Mr Brine, Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East) and Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) pledged to be among up to 100 Conservatives piling pressure on David Cameron.

The trio were backing an amendment to last week’s Queen’s Speech that expresses “regret that an EU referendum Bill was not included”.

To try to calm dissent, Mr Cameron has allowed his backbenchers a free vote today – which means that they will not, technically, be rebelling.

However he rushed out a pledge to introduce his own Bill in a bid to persuade his MPs to back down – a strategy that appeared to have failed last night.

Dr Lewis said that he would vote for the amendment to make clear the strength of feeling on the Tory benches, and that he, like Cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Philip Hammond, would vote to leave the EU if there was a referendum today.

He added: “People don’t want a referendum in order to have a referendum – they want the chance to vote to leave the European Union.”

Mr Brine offered support for Mr Cameron, saying that his plan to renegotiate Britain’s terms of EU membership – before a referendum in 2017 – was “spot on”.

He added: “We will go on reminding people that it is only the Conservative Party offering voters a choice and reassuring them that offer is rock solid. This amendment is another part of that.”