Eurosceptic Wycombe MP Steve Baker says rebel Conservatives do not want to run the government ragged, but want a free and fair European Union referendum campaign.

Following a debate on the EU Referendum Bill in the House of Commons, Mr Baker called for colleagues to vote for changes to the upcoming bill which would currently see the government be allowed to spend “unlimited sums of tax payers money” campaigning one side of the argument.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “The truth is that today a modern MP wants to serve their constituents and get the best for them and for Britain.

“And, we do think for ourselves, and we do have opinions, and on this particular subject it’s not an issue that was in the manifesto, we are concerned about the European Union.

“We want to have a free and fair campaign with a realistic chance of exit so that the renegotiation can work, all those things add up to saying it’s not appropriate to lift these purdah rules, we would like the government to accept amendment 11 and do it in a nice relaxed way.

“Let’s all just be cool and relaxed and just say the government isn’t going to fall, we are not going to start running the government ragged we just want a free and fair referendum.”

He added: “We’ve got every reason to distrust the EU, it’s not a battle with David Cameron it’s a battle with the European Union.

“So we’ve got every reason to be distrustful and we want every possible protection to make sure that this referendum is free and fair.

“This is not actually a struggle against the government, it’s a struggle against to have a free and fair democratic system.”

Speaking about the purdah rules that would currently be dropped as part of this bill, he said he was very concerned the government might be able to spend unlimited amounts of money on a potential “in” campaign.

He added: “The issue is that we have purdah laws for a reason and that’s because government shouldn’t be campaigning on one side of a political argument.

“At the moment there’s two aspects into the conversation, one is the technical detail of conducting European business, and the other is whether the government should be able to articulate its point of view about why staying in the EU’s a good idea, if that’s what’s concluded.”

Quizzed on how government whips had been handling the situation, he said: “They do turn the screws, yes, and it’s not very nice either, it’s not very nice, but, we wouldn’t like to call it bullying, but, colleagues do express strong points of view.

“But, we’re all here to get a Conservative programme through government, colleagues are united in wanting a Conservative programme, based on the manifesto on which we stood, and that’s what we are here to deliver.

“But on this particular issue, because of the history of the European Union, we’re all very wary, concerned, some might even say cynical, and we just want the right referendum on a democratic basis.”

A vote in expected to take place between 7pm and 8pm today to decide whether MPs have been successful in having a “purdah” amendment adopted.