Has Cameron Staved Off Commons Defeat On EU?

David Cameron has again offered a major concession to stave off defeat in the Commons over his EU renegotiation strategy.

At 9.35pm on Monday night, No 10 published its own amendment ruling out a referendum on 5 May, 2016, the same date as elections to Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish legislatures.

A Government source told Sky News: "We've listened to the views expressed from MPs across the House and agreed that we won't hold the referendum on the same day as legislature elections."

And yet Sky News understands that the move came after Downing Street learnt that the DUP had signed up to an SNP amendment essentially calling for the same change.

Labour also had a separate amendment on the same issue and claimed a victory. But Alex Salmond's amendment was due to he heard first in Parliament. SNP sources estimate some 20 Tory rebels on the issue.

DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds told Sky News that he was "very pleased the Government has listened to our concerns about holding referendum on same day as Assembly elections".

Just a week ago at the G7 meeting in Bavaria, the PM said he was "open-minded" on holding the EU vote on the same day as other polls.

The Prime Minister said: "The British public are quite capable of going to a polling booth and making two important decisions rather than just one."

No 10 has always said that the referendum will come after the renegotiation but before the end of 2017.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage and other Westminster insiders have identified 5 May, 2016, as their most likely date for an early referendum - particularly as other European leaders fear the impact of a clash in 2017 with major elections in Germany and France. But this will not now happen.

The Opposition benches also pointed to advice from the Electoral Commission against holding the referendum on the same day as other major elections.

Sky News also understands that No 10 will put forward a "code of conduct" to assuage fears over ministerial behaviour in the pre-vote period.

The EU Referendum Bill proposes cancelling the purdah period - as the Government says, following a successful renegotiation the government would not want to be a "bystander" in the debate.