37-564: Related: Women [REDACTED] The Maastricht Rebels were British Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the then governing Conservative Party who refused to support the government of Prime Minister John Major in a series of votes in the House of Commons on the issue of the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty (Treaty on European Union) in British law. The Maastricht Rebellion
74-799: A Knight Bachelor in the 2014 Birthday Honours for political services. He was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour in Boris Johnson's resignation honours . Cash was born in Finsbury , London, to a political family, which included seven Liberal Members of Parliament, including John Bright . Cash grew up in Sheffield and was privately educated at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire before attending Lincoln College, Oxford , from where he graduated with
111-600: A member of Parliament (MP) from 1984 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party , he was first elected for Stafford and then for Stone in Staffordshire in 1997. Cash is a prominent Eurosceptic . Following his tenth election victory in the 2019 general election , aged 79, Cash became the oldest sitting member of the House of Commons . Cash was the founder of the Maastricht Referendum Campaign in
148-526: A BA in History. He qualified as a solicitor in 1967, and since 1979 has practised as a solicitor on his own account (i.e. he is neither employed by a law firm nor is he a member of a partnership). Cash married Bridget Mary (née Lee) at Wardour Castle Chapel in Wiltshire on 16 October 1965, and they have two sons and a daughter. His son is the journalist William Cash . Along with his wife, Bill Cash restored
185-774: A Labour amendment to postpone incorporation of the Treaty until the Government adopted the 27th Amendment thereto (the Protocol on Social Policy or "Social Chapter"), the government tied 317–317 against the combined forces of some of the rebels, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and others. The tie was broken by Speaker Betty Boothroyd 's casting a 'no' vote (the Speaker casting her vote in accordance with Speaker Denison's rule not to create
222-461: A biography of John Bright , whom he described as "one of the greatest parliamentarians of all time", to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Bright's birth. The biography was received with critical acclaim: reviewer Andrew Roberts notes that Bright's legacy "was largely forgotten until this first-class, encapsulating biography". Amanda Foreman states that "Bill Cash not only breathes new life into Bright but delivers an entirely fresh view of both
259-400: A majority where none exists), though it later transpired that an extra 'aye' had been counted by mistake and both Boothroyd's and the erroneous vote were later expunged and the result deemed a 317-316 vote against. The remaining rebels (who had abstained on the amendment) then joined their colleagues to defeat the main take-note motion 324–316. On the following day, it emerged, on inspection of
296-481: A prospective Conservative candidate, as rent for a Notting Hill flat, when he had a mortgaged flat of his own a few miles away, which his son Sam Cash was staying in rent-free. "It was only for a year, she was getting married, she wasn't there. My other flat wasn't round the corner, it was in Westminster. It was done through the rules", he said on Newsnight . The following day Cash announced that he had agreed to pay
333-584: A scandal) to be deselected as a candidate by removing his or her name from the Candidates' List or by removing the whip as was done to Howard Flight at the 2005 general election . Local members who refuse to obey the instructions of Conservative Central Office can have their Association suspended (put on "Special Measures"), as was done to the Slough Association at that election when they refused to deselect their candidate. List of female members of
370-539: Is known as a strong Eurosceptic. He has been described by Kenneth Clarke as the most "Eurosceptic" Member of Parliament. In the book by historian Robert Blake titled The Conservative Party: from Peel to Major , Cash is described as the leader of the Eurosceptics during the Maastricht Rebellion and as being "indefatigable... a constitutional lawyer of great expertise". The 'Maastricht Rebellion' took place in
407-579: The 1997 election he has been MP for Stone, Staffordshire . Stone was a then newly (re-)created constituency , the previous version of which (with slightly different boundaries) had been abolished in 1950. He has been chairman of various parliamentary committees. He was elected unopposed as Chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee on 8 September 2010, and has been a member of the Select Committee on European Legislation since 1985. Cash
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#1732854585610444-625: The Social Chapter instead of merely "taking note" thereof. As a result, the Government easily won the substantive question by 339–299. Had the government lost this motion of confidence, a dissolution would have been requested and probably granted. Bill Cash set-up the European Foundation to fund legal challenges to the government. Opposition to Maastricht led to the foundation of the Anti-Federalist League which ultimately led to
481-471: The Conservative Party: The future for Britain and Europe (2004), Associated, Not Absorbed: The Associated European Area: a constructive alternative to a single European state (2000), Visions of Europe (Duckworth, 1993) and Against a Federal Europe: The Battle for Britain (Duckworth, 1991). On 28 May 2009, it was reported that Cash had claimed £15,000 which he paid his daughter, Laetitia Cash,
518-536: The Conservatives, Cash was appointed to the post of shadow Attorney general in 2001, and in 2003 he was Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs , but he returned to the backbenches later that year after Duncan Smith was ousted as party leader. In April 2019, Cash was in favour of a "No-deal" option as a negotiating position for Britain leaving the European Union . In November 2011, Cash published
555-669: The Division List, that the Government Whip and teller of the Opposition votes Irvine Patnick had failed to notice an overcount of one vote for the Labour amendment. Had he done so, it would have meant a clear win without a reliance being placed on the Speaker. On the next day (Friday) the government tabled a reworded motion to its predecessor, seeking the confidence of the House in their policy on
592-616: The European Parliament for the United Kingdom Related: Women This is a list of women who were members of the European Parliament representing the United Kingdom . As well as those elected at European elections , it includes members appointed as delegates between 1973 and 1979. Bill Cash Sir William Nigel Paul Cash CH (born 10 May 1940) is a British politician who served as
629-609: The Queen about dissolving Parliament. On 25 November 1994, Christopher Gill stated he would sooner resign as a Conservative than vote for the Bill. All those Conservatives who rebelled over the EC Finance Bill on 28 November 1994 had the Conservative whip withdrawn. Deselection was threatened, so those Conservative MPs would not be able to stand at the next election, although at that time it
666-571: The creation of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Certain rebels later went on to join that political party, such as Christopher Gill and Richard Body , with Roger Knapman serving as their leader from 2002 to 2006. The Maastricht rebels continued to harass the government on European issues, coming close to bringing the Government down three times. They repeatedly called Major's bluff on an early dissolution of Parliament. On 23 November 1994, Nicholas Budgen asked him whether he had spoken to
703-485: The early 1990s, and reached its height in 1993. MPs belonging to the governing Conservative Party refused to support the government of John Major in the votes in the House of Commons on the issue of the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty (Treaty on European Union) in British law. It was a major event of John Major's troubled second term as Prime Minister (1992–1997). Major's party had a small majority, thus giving
740-522: The early 1990s, and was the elected Chair of the House of Commons' European Scrutiny Committee . He has also served as a vice-president of the Eurosceptic pressure group Conservatives for Britain , and to this day is one of the strongest critics of the European Union from the Conservative Party . In June 2023, he announced his intention to stand down at the 2024 general election . Cash was appointed
777-406: The embarrassment caused by the open rebelliousness and infighting of elements in the party, changes were made to the party's procedures to reduce the freedom of backbench MPs to rebel. Local constituency associations are now permitted to select as candidates only members of the approved party list or MPs with the whip. The party leadership could therefore require a rebellious MP (or an MP involved in
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#1732854585610814-600: The family room of the Commons so that the Conservative whips would not know; the government consequently lost a vote. At Third Reading , on 20 May 1993, the Labour whip was to abstain. Despite this, 66 Labour MPs chose to vote against the Bill, while five ( Andrew Faulds , John Home Robertson , Calum MacDonald , Giles Radice and Brian Sedgemore ) supported the Government. The Bill passed Third Reading 292–112. On 22 July 1993, on
851-490: The height of the rebellion, the 1993 Christchurch by-election was held, where a Conservative majority of 23,000 was turned into a Liberal Democrat majority of 16,000. Conservative showings in opinion polls were as low as 23%. John Major threatened the rebels with a general election (despite one only being held a year earlier ). The Labour Party brought in MPs who had just had surgery and others who had suffered heart attacks -
888-498: The man himself and his stance as the professional scourge of the upper classes... Bright's character receives[s its] full due in Cash's nuanced portrait". In addition to his historical writing, Cash has also published a number of books, pamphlets and essays on Britain's relationship with the European Union, and the Eurosceptic movement. These include: It's the EU, Stupid (2011), The Challenge for
925-646: The money back. Cash rejected calls for his resignation and said he was hopeful of getting a fair hearing. David Cameron was said to have ordered Cash to co-operate or risk having the Conservative whip withdrawn. Cash was cleared on appeal in February 2010 by former High Court judge and President of the Court of Appeal, the Rt Hon Sir Paul Kennedy. Cash faced a no-confidence vote by secret ballot by his constituency party on 2 July 2009. He was, however, re-selected with
962-557: The now Grade I Upton Cressett Hall in the 1970s. The Hall was subsequently voted the 'Best Hidden Gem' heritage destination in the UK at the 2011 Hudson's Heritage awards. He is a distant cousin of the American country musician and singer Johnny Cash . Cash entered Parliament in 1984, when he was elected as MP for Stafford at a by-election in May following the death of Sir Hugh Fraser . Since
999-479: The party, and won. However, the infighting continued, and the Conservatives were heavily defeated in the general election of May 1997 . Those who had the whip withdrawn following the EC Finance Bill: Other MPs who had whip withdrawn for failure to support the government on a confidence issue related to Maastricht: After the Conservatives' catastrophic defeat at the 1997 election , blamed in part on
1036-527: The recognition of women everywhere. … It's also a proud legacy for a Parliamentary champion of women's rights [..] Bill Cash." The day after the Act came into force, the Prime Minister, David Cameron , told Cash in the House of Commons, "I am sure the whole House will want to join me in commending my hon. Friend on his Bill, and on his legislative achievement to get that important measure on the statute book." Cash
1073-538: The relatively small number of rebels great influence: for example, there were 22 rebels on the second reading of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill in May 1992, and the government's majority at the time was only 18. The rebellion (as Major later complained in his memoirs) had the support of the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Lord Tebbit . Thatcher declared in a speech in the House of Lords that she "could never have signed that Treaty" and that it
1110-545: The stretcher vote - to vote in the House of Commons , in an effort to bring the government down. The loyalists and rebels in the Conservative Party also brought in their own stretcher vote; for example, Bill Cash organised for one MP ( Bill Walker ), who was seriously ill, to fly from Scotland secretly, then hid him at the rebels' headquarters in Great College Street , before, with Labour connivance, hiding him in
1147-543: The support over 98% of the vote. Cash also received a personal letter of support from Conservative leader Cameron before the meeting thanking Cash for "the tireless contribution you make to the work of Parliament. You have a long record of serving your constituents with commitment and integrity." Kennedy, in his letter to Cash regarding his appeal, wrote: "In my judgment there are special reasons why it would not be fair and equitable to require repayment of any money. They are that in 2004–05 you paid rent for accommodation. Such rent
Maastricht Rebels - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-770: Was "a recipe for national suicide". In 1993, Cash founded and remains chairman of the eurosceptic European Foundation which was created during the Maastricht Rebellion, the funding for which he organised. During 1994–1995 Cash was a member of the Tindemans group . He was secretary of the European Reform Forum , and has been vice-president of the Conservative Small Business Bureau. After fellow Maastricht rebel Iain Duncan Smith became leader of
1221-497: Was a major event of John Major 's troubled second term as Prime Minister (1992–1997). Major's party had a small majority, thus giving the relatively small number of rebels disproportionate influence: for example, there were 22 rebels on the second reading of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill in May 1992, and the government's majority at the time was only 18. The rebellion had the support of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Party Chairman Norman Tebbit . At
1258-774: Was also chairman of the All-Party Committee on Malaysia. He has also served as chairman on the All-Party Group for the Jubilee 2000 (1997–2000). He was chairman of the All-Party Sanitation and Water Committee (Third World) in which he worked closely with Wateraid and Tearfund . He introduced the Gender Equality (International Development) Bill 2013, which, although only 18th in the Private Members Ballot,
1295-616: Was elected chairman of the Conservative Backbench Committee on European Affairs (1989–91). In June 2023, he was one of six Conservative MPs to vote against censuring Boris Johnson following the Commons Privileges Committee investigation . (By contrast, 354 MPs voted to approve the Committee's report). Cash was chairman of a number of All-Party African committees, including those on Kenya and Uganda . He
1332-724: Was enacted in March 2014. Mariella Frostrup wrote in The Times , "The new law that puts gender equality at the heart of our overseas aid policy will be as historic as the Slave Trade Act." Justine Greening , Secretary of State for International Development, wrote in The Telegraph blog "Yet for assiduously steering his Gender Equality in International Development Bill through Parliament over recent months, Bill Cash deserves
1369-428: Was mostly a decision for the party members in their Constituency Association. Budgen summed the attitude of the rebels up with this quote: "It would be my general feeling that the transference of power to Europe was so important a matter as to require a vote against any organisation and any party that wished to transfer that power." In 1995, Major called an early leadership election to attempt to reimpose his authority on
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