THREE Merseyside MPs defied their party leaders last night, but failed in their bid to force a referendum on the controversial EU Treaty.

One of them, Southport MP John Pugh, now faces an anxious wait to find out if he will be sacked as Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman by party leader Nick Clegg.

Meanwhile, Frank Field (Birkenhead) and Bob Wareing (West Derby) were among 29 Labour backbenchers who voted with the Tories for the public to decide whether to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.

But that amendment was defeated by 311 votes to 248, a comfortable majority of 63. Minutes later, a rebel Labour amendment with the same aim was defeated by 64 votes, in a bitter blow to opponents of the Treaty.

Last night, Dr Pugh said he expected to escape with a “slap on the wrist” in a face-to-face meeting with Mr Clegg, that could take place as early as today.

Three senior Lib Dem frontbenchers quit their posts before joining the revolt, but Mr Clegg refused to say whether he would sack Dr Pugh and nine other junior rebels, warning instead of unspecified “consequences”.

The defiant Southport MP said he backed the referendum call to try to counter the “disengagement and alienation” the public felt in all debates on the vexed question of Europe.

He added: “I did what I truthfully thought was the right thing. We need to address that democratic deficit somehow and give people the opportunity to be involved in the process.

“I have had very amicable discussion with Nick and explained my point of view to him. I expect him to be entirely rational over what are honestly-held differences.”

After the votes, the Tories immediately urged the House of Lords to “hold the government to their manifesto commitment” , but last night’s victory is thought unlikely to be overturned.

Instead, attention quickly switched to the crisis that engulfed Mr Clegg, whose insistence that his MPs abstain on the referendum vote backfired

spectacularly. The leader looked visibly shaken.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader David Cameron will now come under renewed pressure to state whether he will continue to pledge a referendum, even after the Treaty comes into force, on January 1 next year.

The result was a relief for Mr Brown, who inherited the 2005 election manifesto pledge to hold a poll on the constitution from his predecessor Tony Blair.

The referendum would almost certainly have been lost, potentially forcing all 27 EU states to renegotiate the Treaty in order for it to come into force.

With the other 26 countries likely to ratify, some had speculated Britain would be forced to leave the EU, or at least accept a form of lesser status.

Earlier, during prime minister’s questions, Mr Brown insisted a referendum was not necessary, because the Treaty was fundamentally different from the

constitution, which was “abandoned”.