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Petition calling for referendum vote on Brexit deal wins Westminster debate
| Published: | 21 Sep at 4 PM |
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A petition calling for a new referendum based on the final Brexit deal has passed 100,000 signatures, forcing it to be debated in the parliamentary House of Commons.
The petition requests a referendum to be heard before the official date when Britain leaves the European Union, pencilled in at present as the end of March 2019. The debate, it says, should contain three options, either to revoke Article 50 and remain within the European Union, to reject whatever deal has been agreed and simply leave, or to accept the deal and let the UK/EU divorce go ahead. If the requested referendum does take place before a deal has been agreed, it adds, the third option to reject the deal and leave could be simply removed.
The wording of the petition also adds that, regardless of whichever side people voted for in the original referendum, every British citizen should have the chance to decide their own futures by voting again, based on whatever final agreement is made between the EU and Britain. Although the petition has passed the number of signatures required to ensure it’s debated in parliament, at present there has been no official reply as usually offered for successful petitions. However, protocol demands that a debate must take place, although occasionally permission is refused if a similar petition has been up for debate recently or is already scheduled.
Expat rights campaigner Brian Cave, representing Ecreu.com’s membership of the British in Europe group, believes any possibility of forcing a second referendum by this means makes it all the more important that the hated 15-year UK expat disenfranchisement rule be ended. Cave insists the government needs to shape up in the votes issue, as a second referendum without the participation of those worst affected by Brexit would be a disgrace. At present, votes for life are expected to be given before the 2022 general election, too late to allow longstay UK expats in Europe to vote for their own futures in a second referendum.
The petition requests a referendum to be heard before the official date when Britain leaves the European Union, pencilled in at present as the end of March 2019. The debate, it says, should contain three options, either to revoke Article 50 and remain within the European Union, to reject whatever deal has been agreed and simply leave, or to accept the deal and let the UK/EU divorce go ahead. If the requested referendum does take place before a deal has been agreed, it adds, the third option to reject the deal and leave could be simply removed.
The wording of the petition also adds that, regardless of whichever side people voted for in the original referendum, every British citizen should have the chance to decide their own futures by voting again, based on whatever final agreement is made between the EU and Britain. Although the petition has passed the number of signatures required to ensure it’s debated in parliament, at present there has been no official reply as usually offered for successful petitions. However, protocol demands that a debate must take place, although occasionally permission is refused if a similar petition has been up for debate recently or is already scheduled.
Expat rights campaigner Brian Cave, representing Ecreu.com’s membership of the British in Europe group, believes any possibility of forcing a second referendum by this means makes it all the more important that the hated 15-year UK expat disenfranchisement rule be ended. Cave insists the government needs to shape up in the votes issue, as a second referendum without the participation of those worst affected by Brexit would be a disgrace. At present, votes for life are expected to be given before the 2022 general election, too late to allow longstay UK expats in Europe to vote for their own futures in a second referendum.
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