British Prime Minister David Cameron may have been glad he missed this particular parliamentary vote.
The Conservative party leader - on a trip to the United States - was spared the embarrassment of having to witness on Wednesday a rebellion from his own party within the House of Commons.
Tory rebels voted against Cameron in protest at his stance on the European Union - they want Cameron's promise of a 2017 referendum on British membership of the EU to be legally binding.
Although the revolt was defeated, around a third of Conservative lawmakers voted against the prime minister, raising questions about Cameron's leadership.
The centre right Tory party - in a ruling coalition with the Liberal Democrats - has 305 members of parliament. 116 of them voted against the government.
