Cameron Defeated in Vote on EU Referendum Campaign Rules

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron suffered his first House of Commons defeat since winning the May general election when his party’s lawmakers rebelled in a vote on rules for a referendum on leaving the European Union.

In what’s likely to be a foretaste of battles within Cameron’s Conservative Party as the debate over EU membership heats up, Parliament voted by 312 to 285 to apply “purdah” rules in the run-up to the referendum, which Cameron has pledged to hold by the end of 2017. The regulations restrict the announcements government officials can make during an election period.