Inevitably, this is going to be an unsettling event - everyone knows that strong views are held about Europe on all sides particularly in the Conservative Party. These divisions may well be tested in the Commons if the Wilsonian precedent is followed. In 1975, ahead of the referendum, he put the negotiated deal to Parliament and his recommendation of continued membership was passed with Conservative help by a majority of 224. But 145 Labour MPs, including 38 ministers, voted against and more than 30 abstained. Wilson accepted that in the “unique circumstances of the referendum” ministers should be free to advocate a different view from that taken by the government, though the Yes vote won comfortably by a 2:1 majority. Conventional wisdom has it that Wilson’s enlightened latitude and artful politicking kept Labour together and so they did, for a while. But the antis were never reconciled to the outcome; and the split over Europe was simply postponed to 1980 when the Left managed to get the party to commit to withdrawal and pro-Europeans went off to form the SDP. For the Tories, then, the big problem will be holding together after the vote. Unless everyone is allowed to have their say, resentment will fester and a party that has just won its first Commons majority since 1992 might split irrevocably.