Commons debate on increasing the EU budget

I haven't had time to properly follow the debate in the House of Commons on the draft EU budget.

The original motion by Justine Greening was

That this House takes note of European Union Document No. SEC(2010) 473, Statement of Estimates of the European Commission for the financial year 2011; and supports the Government's efforts to maintain the 2011 EU budget at the cash levels equivalent to the 2010 budget, while ensuring better value for money in EU expenditure.

It seems that Douglas Carswell would have changed it (via "amendment b") to

That this House takes note of European Union Document No. SEC(2010) 473, Statement of Estimates of the European Commission for the financial year 2011; is concerned at the above-inflation increase being made to Britain’s EU budget contribution; believes that, at a time when the Government is poised to make reductions in public spending elsewhere, it is wrong to increase that contribution; and calls on the Government to reduce Britain’s EU budget contribution.

This amendment was defeated — Ayes 42, Noes 252 — but William Cash apparently succeeded in getting a sentence added (via "amendment a")

That this House takes note of European Union Document No. SEC(2010) 473, Statement of Estimates of the European Commission for the financial year 2011; and supports the Government's efforts to maintain the 2011 EU budget at the cash levels equivalent to the 2010 budget, while ensuring better value for money in EU expenditure; and calls on the Government to reject European Parliament proposals to increase the budget.

Cash appears to have been aiming to make the best of a bad situation:

I agree very much with the sentiments that lie behind the amendment tabled by my hon. Friend Mr Carswell.
...
I went ahead with my amendment, because I have to recognise that the Government are about to engage in some incredibly important negotiations. They have to achieve a blocking minority, which I shall explain in a moment. That is not just a technical question, but a question of whether the Government can, first, get enough people to vote on the conciliation agreement, assuming that we reach such a point, and then achieve a blocking minority so that the Commission has to propose a new budget. That is what we are fighting for.

Of the MPs who supported Carswell's amendment, 2 were DUP, 5 were Labour, and 35 were Conservative. True to form, there was no support at all from the Lib Dems.