Government MPs will resign their seats and force an election if the entire caucus does not support the Independence referendum bill next Friday.

The UBP Parliamentary caucus was given that message at a meeting on Thursday, sources told The Royal Gazette .

The MPs who would join Mr. Pearman in resigning were not identified.

When contacted, Mr. Pearman would neither confirm nor deny that he made the threat. "I wouldn't believe everything you hear,'' he said.

Citing caucus secrecy, most MPs refused to comment.

Mr. Trevor Moniz, one of a few Government MPs who has not promised to support the referendum bill, said yesterday he did not attend Thursday's caucus meeting and could not comment on what might have been said.

But Mr. Moniz said a threat like the one that was reportedly made by Mr.

Pearman would not affect his decision on how to vote.

"No bullying or blackmail would have any effect on me,'' he said. Once he gave in to "a bully,'' then "he's going to come to me every day,'' with more demands, Mr. Moniz said.

With only a 21-18 majority in the House of Assembly, the UBP Government is not assured of passing the referendum bill.

Government MPs who do not toe the line on the bill have also been threatened with party discipline.

"Threats are cheap,'' Mr. Moniz said. "I'm really not interested in that game.

"Speak to the principle of the matter. Convince me that this is the right thing to do.'' The Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto and Dr. David Dyer, two other Government MPs who have not promised to support the bill, would also not comment on what was said at caucus.

Mr. Moniz said he had a big problem with the Green Paper on Independence, on which debate began yesterday. It was supposed to educate people, but had been criticised from a broad spectrum.

And many people were troubled by the formula for deciding the referendum. A simple majority would decide the issue, as long as two-thirds of voters turned out. That could still allow a minority to decide the issue, and was not the kind of consensus normally required for constitutional change, he said.