THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT is today debating a motion on holding a referendum over the country’s European Union membership.

Although the motion is expected to to be rejected, as Labour and the Liberal Democrats are set to vote against it, Prime Minister David Cameron is struggling to deal with a rebellion in his own party over the issue. Almost 70 Conservatives are expected to defy the party whip on the matter, the BBC reports.

As well as causing tension within the Conservative party and posing a serious challenge to Cameron’s authority, the matter is also placing strain on the Tories’ relationship with their coalition partners – the Liberal Democrats – who are pro-EU.

The British Foreign Secretary William Hague has criticised today’s debate – saying that even though he is himself a ‘eurosceptic’, it is asking “the wrong question at the wrong time”, reports the Guardian.

The motion before Parliament today calls for a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU, renegotiate its treaty with Brussels, or remain a member on the current terms.