one of the most important Parliamentary votes in recent British history.

And mystery still surrounds where the Tory MP was when the British Government was rallying its forces for a vital vote of confidence yesterday.

British newspapers have inundated Mr. Allason's Bermudian wife, Nichole with calls at her Bermudian home, after they were told he was on the Island.

But Mrs. Allason diverted all the calls to Mr. Allason's London office saying he was not on the Island.

She said: "He is not on the Island. I have not been in touch with him so I do not know where he is. I have no idea why he missed the vote.

"You will be able to contact him at his London office. I only expect to hear from him when he is coming out here.'' A spokesman for the UK Government whip's office in London has confirmed that Mr. Allason faces a severe reprimand for missing the debate called to close ranks despite a growing crisis in the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister John Major had been forced on the defensive by a rebellion within his own ranks and won a confidence motion yesterday, clearing the way for it to ratify the Maastricht treaty on European union.

Last week he was handed a humiliating defeat over the treaty which sets a course for closer European monetary and political union. The Tory rebels, fearing an erosion of British sovereignty, joined with Opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against the Government.

Since his shock election victory 15 months ago, Mr. Major and his Government have stumbled from one crisis to another and have slipped to third place in the opinion polls for the first time.

Mr. Major called for a confidence vote threatening his party with a potentially devastating general election unless it united behind him on the treaty.

All parties used the whip to drag MPs into the House of Commons for yesterday's vote, including some from their sick beds and holidays.

The Government won the vote by 339 to 299 with Mr. Allason the only MP not present.

British newspapers were told that the reason for the Torbay MP's non-appearance was the fact that he was in Bermuda.

However Mrs. Allason said that her husband had been in Britain all week, as far as she knew.

The Daily Mail in London reported that they would be carrying a story about the missing MP today and the fact that he is in trouble with the whip's office.

Mr. Allason has been involved in controversy a number of times, the latest being when his name appeared on a list of 23 Tory MPs said to have been badly affected by a slump of Lloyd's insurance house in 1992. Mr. Allason denied he had made catastrophic losses.

He is better known as spy author Nigel West and his books have caused their own controversy over the years.