The Morning Star has opposed Britain's membership of the EEC since its inception and since the latter has morphed into the EU it has been at the forefront of those on the progressive left calling for a referendum on continued EU membership.

Labour For A Referendum is a Labour supporters' campaign that is neither Europhile nor Eurosceptic.

Our supporters include Labour MPs from all wings of the party, ranging from Europhiles like Keith Vaz and Jim Dowd to Eurosceptics like John Cryer and Kate Hoey as well as hundreds of Labour councillors and activists from across the country.

We are united by our belief that Labour should pledge a straightforward in/out referendum on the EU to be held as soon as possible after the next general election because it is both democratic and electorally popular.

Labour has always been a driving force for constitutional reform and democratic advance ever since Keir Hardie supported the Suffragettes.

Its landslide victory in 1945 was all the more remarkable for the fact that wealthy businessmen - and they were almost all men - and university graduates could vote in up to three constituencies.

But that Labour government abolished the business vote and the 12 university constituencies and established the principle of one adult, one vote.

Harold Wilson's Labour government reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 and abolished the business vote in local elections.

And it was Wilson again who granted the first Britain-wide referendum in 1975 after the Tories had taken Britain into the EEC without such a vote.

It is worth remembering that Labour unexpectedly won the February 1974 general election in part because of the promise to hold a referendum.

More recently, Labour governments have held national and regional referendums on devolution to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and the north-east region.

The Blair government held 37 referendums on the constitutional arrangements for local government.

The current coalition held a nationwide referendum on the voting system but only because it was part of the coalition agreement.

And there is now to be a referendum in Scotland on independence.

If it is appropriate for the people of Scotland to hold a referendum to determine their constitution relationship with the rest of Britain, then surely it is appropriate for the whole of Britain to hold a referendum to determine its constitutional relationship with the EU?

Labour For A Referendum seeks to build on that democratic tradition of consulting the people on matters of great constitutional importance.

That is the democratic argument for a referendum and that is powerful enough in itself. But there is another compelling argument and that is that such a vote is popular.

Pollsters have consistently shown public support for a referendum and Labour voters are just as enthusiastic as voters of other parties.

According to a recent ComRes poll, 40 per cent of those who voted Labour in 2010 - our core voters - say they are less likely to support Labour without the promise of an EU referendum.

That same poll showed that 49 per cent of all voters in the south-west region and 53 per cent of voters in the south-east, key areas in which we have to gain seats in order to form a government, expect any party to support an EU referendum if it hopes to win their vote.

The ComRes poll shows similarly high levels of support across the country as whole.

Last year a poll in Ed Miliband's Doncaster North constituency showed 73 per cent of Labour voters wanting a referendum and 29 per cent of Labour voters would seriously consider switching to a party that is offering a referendum.

It should be a cause for concern that earlier this year Labour lost its safest council seat in nearby Rotherham to a Ukip candidate.

Labour can win the next election provided we focus on the issues which really matter to people like jobs, housing, social care and the NHS and deny our opponents the space to discuss issues which they want to discuss like Europe. We need to neutralise that issue and prevent the Tories from posing as the champions of democracy when they have opposed every democratic reform from votes for women to the 1975 referendum.

David Cameron has already accused "the people's party of being afraid of trusting the people" and we cannot allow ourselves to be accused of denying the British people a say over an institution that has changed so dramatically in the 38 years since 1975.

In 2013 Miliband surely will not allow Cameron to be the only leader to stand up at the TV debates and promise a referendum on the EU.

Voters have clearly lost trust in politicians who are frequently accused of being out of touch, and on no issue is this more apparent than the EU.

Polls consistently show that at least 38 per cent of the voters are in favour of leaving the EU, yet only a small minority of MPs are of the same view.

If we trust the people the people will trust us. It is that simple.

Richard Cotton is political director of Labour For A Referendum