It gives effect in the law of the United Kingdom to the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed there by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 14 December 2007.[6] The Bill was first debated in the House of Commons on 21 January 2008, and passed its second reading that day by a vote of 362–224; Prime Minister Gordon Brown was absent that day, and left the Bill to be defended by then-Foreign Secretary David Miliband who introduced it to the House of Commons.[7] A Conservative amendment led by the then Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague to hold a UK-wide referendum on final approval of the Lisbon Treaty was defeated by the Labour Government in a Committee stage debate on 5 March 2008, by 311–248 in the House of Commons.[8] The enactment via royal assent came on 19 June 2008.