On Europe, Labour must climb off the fence The only referendum that this country has held on its place in Europe was carried out under a Labour government; yet the party seems to have great difficulties deciding whether it wants another. On Friday, a private member's Bill sponsored by the Conservative backbencher James Wharton will be put to a vote in the Commons. The majority of Tory MPs will support it, and have been encouraged to do so by David Cameron. And Labour? Most of its MPs are expected to abstain. As the Prime Minister observed in the Commons yesterday, it is hard to imagine a more feeble position to adopt on one of the great issues of the day. Their pusillanimity is shared by the Lib Dems, for whom unquestioning support of the EU is almost an article of faith. They promised in their last election manifesto to hold an in/out referendum "the next time a British government signs up for fundamental change in the relationship between the UK and the EU." They might be able to argue at the moment that this eventuality has not yet arisen but given developments in the eurozone it cannot be ruled out. Yet Vince Cable this week dismissed the very idea of an in/out referendum as a "serious distraction." A distraction from what? Ed Miliband's agonising over this matter is particularly acute since some of his MPs and party supporters would favour a referendum. Earlier this week, John Mills, the businessman who has donated more than £1 million to Labour, urged the party's leader to commit to an in/out vote. Although he can only demonstrate backing from some 15 MPs, Mr Mills believes support runs deeper in Labour ranks. There are some in the party who think Mr Miliband should push for a vote in this parliament rather than the next, as Mr Cameron proposes, so that the consequences are apparent before a general election. For this reason, Mr Miliband clearly wants to keep his political options open; yet he risks looking incapable of making up his mind on this, as on so many other important matters. After all, what is being proposed is a renegotiation of Britain's membership with the EU, in the UK's national interests, with the outcome put to a vote of the people. It is hard to understand why any Opposition leader with pretensions to the highest political office should consider that the right approach to such an important matter is to sit on the fence. True, the Bill may not become law (though it would if the Government gave it time) and will not bind a future parliament since no legislation can. But it is a signal of intent, and one that will be impossible to resile from without losing all political credibility. Mr Miliband needs to do better than say: "I'm not sure."