Kent MP Mark Reckless has led the biggest defeat of the government since it formed in 2010.

The Rochester and Strood Conservative MP moved a controversial amendment last night calling for the amount Britain gives the EU to be cut.

It prompted a massive Tory rebellion, beating the government by 13 votes.

Mr Reckless, who believes Britain should be like Switzerland and leave the EU, was triumphant after the vote.

But he said: "I don't like the word rebel. I think I will be defined as the person who was able to persuade parliament to speak up for the country and protect our taxpayers' money."

And he claimed he had defeated "civil servants in the foreign office" - not his own government.

The vote last night, which was not binding on ministers, called for Britain to give the EU about £200m less a year from 2014 to 2020.

Mr Reckless's speech mentioned Medway Council, which has previously called for EU spending to be cut.

Chatham MP Tracey Crouch also defied the government - but Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti, who is a Medway councillor, voted against the spending cut.

The victory was only achieved because Labour MPs supported Mr Reckless - a move he described as "a pretty cynical U-turn".

But Chatham parliamentary hopeful Cllr Tristan Osborne (Lab) claimed: "I think Labour have been consistent. You set a budget for six years and the last one was set when the global economy was in growth mode."

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