Splendid piece in the Telegraph by Bruno Waterfield about the shenanigans at the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO) yesterday which may well result in smaller – particularly opposition – groups being closed down after next year's European Elections. I witnessed it and though to be fair it was a debate about the Parliament's rules of procedure, I have rarely enjoyed a Committee Meeting like it. It was bums on seats stuff.

The Socialists and the Christian-Democrats in the European Parliament want to make it harder to form official European Political Parties, by raising the number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) needed to form a group. The proposal, which is being pushed by Labour MEP Richard Corbett, could prevent the Conservatives from forming a new group, and would probably prevent eurosceptic groups in the Parliament, like UKIP, from forming a group. It is necessary to form groups in order to be able to receive Parliament funding, get leading positions on committees, get a say in the Parliament's administration and power structure, and receive additional speaking time.

Corbett argues that his proposal “would prevent single issue politicians from being given undue support from the public purse.” He said: “We want to avoid the formation of a fragmented Parliament, deeply divided into many small groups and unable to work effectively.”

Current rules allow 20 MEPs from a fifth of the EU’s member states to form groups. Under the changes, the threshold would become 30 MEPs from one quarter of the EU’s member states. The Liberal Democrats, Greens, the far Left, Eurosceptics and others have vowed to oppose the plans. But the Christian-Democrat EPP group and the Socialist PES group have 64 percent of all the MEPs (61 percent without the British Conservatives, who belong to the EPP but some of whom would prefer to establish their own group) and may be able to push through the change.

Richard Corbett's report was up for voting at the AFCO at 10.00 am yesterday, but from a quick count it became apparent that the little groups had got their act together and had the numbers to win. At which point the Chairman, Jo Leinen, a German Socialist, started a filibuster. He was abetted by other Socialist and Christian Democrats one of whom a Greek socialist named Costas Botopolous made the procedure transparent by saying,

"We must continue this debate, that will give us time to get more members into Committee for the vote".

Anyhow, after half an hour they though they had the numbers. Wrong call, the opposition won by a single vote. This meant that legally the whole report fell and would have to go back to the drawing board. This in turn would mean that the report, scheduled to go to the full parliamentary plenary on 9 July would not get its new first reading in Committee until after the summer recess, which would inevitably mean that it would not get its second reading in Committee until after Christmas, which would mean that it probably would not get to plenary in time to have an impact before the next European elections.

Therefore the rules governing the formation of groups would stay as they are. Not something that the elite want to see.

The net result of this was that Corbett was raging. I know Richard and can tell by the tone of his voice how angry and disappointed he was. I am not sure if he has ever lost any vote on one of his myriad reports on procedural tampering. This was lèse majesté of the first order.

So after some harumphing the only Tory in the room, Timothy Kirkhope, who is Vice-Chairman of the Committee, came up with an oral amendment that would take out the figure of 30 MEPs need to form a group. Not a bad amendment as it happens, but irrelevant. According to the rules if the report falls, then the report falls. What Kirkhope, a British Conservative who wants to stay in the EPP group, had done was to throw the autocrats a lifeline. The debate continued slowly while more and more socialists and Christian Democrats turned up.

Brian Crowley, the Irish pro-European leader of the small UEN (Union for Europe of the Nations) group was almost on his feet with outrage (given he uses a wheelchair no small feat in itself). Andrew Duff, the British Liberal-Democrat of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, was slapping his hands together demanding to be heard. Hanne Dahl,a Danish Eurosceptic, was being forthright in her opposition to the move. But Leinen and Corbett ploughed on, ignoring the rules of procedure and finally went to a new vote. Crowley demanded that the Chairman justify this breach of the rule of law, Leinen just waved him away. Kirkhope meanwhile just kept on defending his amendment. By doing so he was allowing the big two to escape their defeat. Of course seeing as (as has been pointed out by Richard North) this rule change is not about destroying UKIP or the small eurosceptic groupings but damaging the prospects of the Tories setting up a breakaway group, maybe this was deliberate on Timothy's part, he never having been a fan of the breached promise of Tory leader David Cameron to leave the EPP.

The vote started after the big blocks had lumbered their members into position and they were able to vote this through.