European Union Referendum Act 2015
|
|
| Long title | An Act to make provision for the holding of a referendum in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2015 c. 36 |
| Introduced by | Philip Hammond |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom & Gibraltar (separate local enacting legislation exists in Gibraltar; see European Union (Referendum) Act 2016 (Gibraltar) (Act No. 2016-01 (Legislation Number (L.N.) 2016/034, as amended by L.N. 2016/035, L.N. 2016/082 and L.N. 2016/120))) |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 17 December 2015 |
|
Status: Spent
|
|
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The European Union Referendum Act 2015 (c 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made legal provision for a non-binding referendum to be held in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, on whether they should remain a member of the European Union or leave it. The bill was introduced to the House of Commons by Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 28 May 2015. The Act was subsequently passed by 544-53 votes on its second reading on 9 June 2015, a ratio of six to one in the Commons and was approved by the House of Lords on 14 December 2015, and given Royal Assent on 17 December 2015.
The Act required that the Prime Minister should appoint the day on which the referendum should be held and, on 20 February 2016, David Cameron announced that the referendum would take place on Thursday 23 June 2016. In the referendum, the electorate voted by 51.9% to 48.1% in favour of leaving the EU, on a 72% turnout.
On 1 January 1973 the United Kingdom and Gibraltar joined what was then known as the European Economic Community (the Common Market), under terms negotiated by the then Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath. In accordance with British constitutional convention, specifically that of parliamentary sovereignty, accession was not subject to approval by referendum. Both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party were divided over the issue, and the European Communities Act 1972 was passed due to sufficient Labour abstentions to counteract the number of rebel Tories. In the run-up to the UK General Election February 1974, the Labour Party manifesto promised a Referendum 'on renegotiated terms', which its leader, Harold Wilson, hoped would end the division of his party. However the election proved indecisive and marked the end of Heath's premiership as Prime Minister and Wilson was forced to call a second election later in the year. After the UK General Election October 1974, the Labour Party formed a minority administration and held the referendum on continued membership the following year, which was approved by 67% of voters.
...
Wikipedia