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86-580: The organisation campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum . Although CEF accepts the UK's departure from the European Union, it believes that it is in the best interests of the UK, EU and wider world that the UK maintains a close, strategic relationship with its European allies in the future. It is for this reason that CEF was resolutely opposed to a no-deal Brexit. Sir David Lidington

172-424: A Vote Leave supporter to say that the council was unable to check whether the nationality that people stated on their voting registration form was true, and hence that they simply had to assume that the information that was submitted was, indeed, correct. 3,462 EU nationals were wrongly sent postal voting cards, due to an IT issue experienced by Xpress, an electoral software supplier to a number of councils. Xpress

258-485: A free vote for ministers. In an exception to the usual rule of cabinet collective responsibility , Cameron allowed cabinet ministers to campaign publicly for EU withdrawal. A Government-backed campaign was launched in April. On 16 June, all official national campaigning was suspended until 19 June following the murder of Jo Cox . After internal polls suggested that 85% of the UK population wanted more information about

344-675: A central part of its campaign for the European elections in 2009, the EPP approved its election manifesto at its Congress in Warsaw in April that year. The manifesto called for: Concerns that the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz and its leader Viktor Orbán were undermining the rule of law in Hungary caused a split in the EPP in the run-up of the 2019 European Parliament election . On one hand,

430-588: A command paper and agreed by both Houses. Following the 2016 referendum, the High Court confirmed that the result was not legally binding, owing to the constitutional principles of parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy, and the legislation authorising the referendum did not contain clear words to the contrary. Research by the Electoral Commission confirmed that its recommended question "was clear and straightforward for voters, and

516-747: A further transfer of powers from the UK to the EU were to be proposed. In their manifesto for the 2015 general election, the Liberal Democrats pledged to hold an in-out referendum only in the event of there being a change in the EU treaties. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), the British National Party (BNP), the Green Party , the Democratic Unionist Party and the Respect Party all supported

602-666: A member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). The result was a vote in favour of leaving the EU, triggering calls to begin the process of the country's withdrawal from the EU commonly termed " Brexit ". Since 1973 , the UK had been a member state of the EU and its predecessor the European Communities (principally the European Economic Community ), along with other international bodies. The constitutional implications of membership for

688-470: A referendum on whether the UK should remain in or leave the EU. The Conservative Party published a draft EU Referendum Bill in May 2013, and outlined its plans for renegotiation followed by an in-out vote (i.e. a referendum giving options only of leaving and of remaining in under the current terms, or under new terms if these had become available), were the party to be re-elected in 2015. The draft Bill stated that

774-539: A referendum to be held on the question of the UK's continued membership of the European Union (EU) before the end of 2017. It did not contain any requirement for the UK Government to implement the results of the referendum. Instead, it was designed to gauge the electorate's opinion on EU membership. The referendums held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1997 and 1998 are examples of this type, where opinion

860-540: A sample of the actual ballot paper, and a whole page each was given to the campaign groups Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave to present their case. The Vote Leave campaign argued that if the UK left the EU, national sovereignty would be protected, immigration controls could be imposed, and the UK would be able to sign trade deals with the rest of the world. The UK would also be able to stop membership payments to

946-581: A second reading in a half-hour long debate in the chamber on 26 October 2012, but did not progress any further. In January 2013, Cameron delivered the Bloomberg speech and promised that, should the Conservatives win a parliamentary majority at the 2015 general election , the British government would negotiate more favourable arrangements for continuing British membership of the EU, before holding

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1032-519: A second referendum should the result be a remain win closer than 52–48%, because the leaflet meant that the remain side had been permitted to spend more money than the leave side. In the week beginning on 16 May, the Electoral Commission sent a voting guide regarding the referendum to every household within the UK and Gibraltar to raise awareness of the upcoming referendum. The eight-page guide contained details on how to vote, as well as

1118-592: A sliding scale for four years and would be for new immigrants only; before they could be applied, a country would have to get permission from the European Council . Child benefit payments could still be made overseas, but these would be linked to the cost of living in the other country. On sovereignty, the UK was reassured that it would not be required to participate in "ever closer union"; these reassurances were "in line with existing EU law". Cameron's demand to allow national parliaments to veto proposed EU laws

1204-525: A so-called "emergency brake", which would have allowed the UK to withhold social benefits to new immigrants for the first four years after they arrived; this brake could have been applied for a period of seven years. That offer was still on the table at the time of the Brexit referendum, but expired when the vote determined that the UK would leave the EU. Cameron claimed that "he could have avoided Brexit had European leaders let him control migration", according to

1290-617: Is an active member of both the European Democrat Students (EDS) and the Nordic Conservative Student Union (NKSU) . CEF continues its long tradition of fostering links with sister centre-right parties throughout the EU and maintains good connections with many political parties in the EPP . Membership of CEF is open to anyone who supports Conservative values and a close relationship between

1376-655: Is defined by the legislation as limited to residents of the United Kingdom who were either also Commonwealth citizens under Section 37 of the British Nationality Act 1981 (which include British citizens and other British nationals ), or those who were also citizens of the Republic of Ireland , or both. Members of the House of Lords , who could not vote in general elections, were able to vote in

1462-602: Is the current chair and Stephen Hammond is the current deputy chair. Flick Drummond and Liz Spencer are the current vice chairs. Amber Rudd is the president and Baroness Sugg , John Bowis , Dominic Grieve and Dirk Hazell are the current vice presidents. On 28 January 2021, Lidington and Hammond officially launched the Conservative European Forum (CEF) , replacing the Conservative Group for Europe (CGE) . The change in name represents

1548-613: The Financial Times . However, Angela Merkel said that the offer had not been made by the EU. Merkel stated in the German Parliament: "If you wish to have free access to the single market then you have to accept the fundamental European rights as well as obligations that come from it. This is as true for Great Britain as for anybody else." The planned referendum was included in the Queen's Speech on 27 May 2015. It

1634-514: The 2015 general election as a main manifesto pledge, the legal basis for the EU referendum was established through the European Union Referendum Act 2015 . Prime Minister David Cameron also oversaw a renegotiation of the terms of EU membership , intending to implement these changes in the event of a Remain result. The referendum was legally non-binding due to the ancient principle of parliamentary sovereignty , although

1720-723: The Civic Platform of Poland, the Social Democratic Party of Portugal and the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria . According to its website, the EPP is "the family of the political centre-right, whose roots run deep in the history and civilisation of the European continent, and [which] has pioneered the European project from its inception". The EPP was founded in Luxembourg on 8 July 1976 on

1806-545: The Fixed-term Parliament Act . Cameron refused this request, saying people were able to make up their own minds in multiple elections spaced at least six weeks from each other. On 20 February 2016, Cameron announced that the UK Government would formally recommend to the British people that the UK should remain a member of a reformed European Union and that the referendum would be held on 23 June, marking

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1892-694: The Scottish National Party voting against. In contrast to the Labour Party's position prior to the 2015 general election under Miliband, acting Labour leader Harriet Harman committed her party to supporting plans for an EU referendum by 2017, a position maintained by elected leader Jeremy Corbyn . To enable the referendum to take place, the European Union Referendum Act was passed by the Parliament of

1978-641: The United Kingdom from the European Union The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum , was a referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 to ask the electorate whether the country should continue to remain

2064-862: The Welsh Parliament , or the Gibraltar Parliament at the time of the referendum. Among minor parties, the Socialist Labour Party , the Communist Party of Britain , Britain First , the British National Party (BNP), Éirígí [Ireland], the Respect Party , the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), the Social Democratic Party , the Liberal Party , Independence from Europe , and

2150-608: The Workers' Party [Ireland] supported leaving the EU. European People%27s Party The European People's Party ( EPP ) is a European political party with Christian democratic , liberal-conservative , and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Christian-democratic parties in 1976, it has since broadened its membership to include liberal-conservative parties and parties with other centre-right political perspectives. On 31 May 2022,

2236-604: The dissolution of parliament on 27 March 2015. At the European Parliament election in 2014 , the UK Independence Party (UKIP) secured more votes and more seats than any other party, the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour had topped a nationwide poll in 108 years, leaving the Conservatives in third place. Under Ed Miliband 's leadership between 2010 and 2015, the Labour Party ruled out an in-out referendum unless and until

2322-472: The 193 EPP delegates supported the common agreement with Fidesz on 20 March 2019 to partially suspend its membership. According to it, Fidesz was "until further notice" excluded from EPP meetings and internal elections, but remained in the European People's Party Group of the European Parliament . Fidesz did not deliver on its earlier promise to leave the EPP in case of a penalty. In February 2020,

2408-657: The Commons in November 2013, and was then introduced to the House of Lords in December 2013, where members voted to block the bill. Conservative MP Bob Neill then introduced an Alternative Referendum Bill to the Commons. After a debate on 17 October 2014, it passed to the Public Bills Committee , but because the Commons failed to pass a money resolution , the bill was unable to progress further before

2494-674: The Conservative Party for opposing a no-deal were members of the Conservative European Forum. During elections the CEF campaigns locally for pro-European Conservative candidates. The organisation also holds events at the annual Conservative Party Conference. The Young Conservative European Forum (formerly the Young Conservative Group for Europe ) is the organisation's youth wing; it

2580-406: The Conservative Party". Regarding the ability of the bill to bind the UK Government in the 2015–20 Parliament (which indirectly, as a result of the referendum itself, proved to last only two years) to holding such a referendum, a parliamentary research paper noted that: The Bill simply provides for a referendum on continued EU membership by the end of December 2017 and does not otherwise specify

2666-406: The Conservative Party. The organisation organises regular high-profile speaker meetings for its members, publishes policy and research papers on a wide range of issues, commissions polling and promotes a pro-European message in the media. In 2018 the organisation launched a No2NoDeal campaign to warn of the damaging consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Many of the 21 Tory rebels who were expelled from

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2752-530: The EEC during the 1975 referendum was officially launched by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher when she addressed the Conservative European Forum. In the 1980/90s the CEF's annual conference at Brandon Hall near Coventry attracted leading figures from the Conservative Party, MPs and MEPs and leaders from countries with which the Conservative Party was affiliated in the European Peoples Party. Over

2838-527: The EEC. It was during these negotiations that the organisation changed its name to the Conservative Group for Europe (CGE). CEF played a vital role in the UK's ascension to the EEC. The organisation brought together pro-European Conservatives and worked with like-minded parties in France to help secure UK's entry to the EEC on 1 January 1973. The Conservative Party campaign for the UK to remain in

2924-534: The EPP extended the suspension of Fidesz indefinitely. On 2 April 2020, thirteen parties within the EPP issued a joint statement aimed at Donald Tusk, asking him to expunge Fidesz from the party. Three days before this, the Hungarian Parliament had passed a law, declaring a state of emergency within Hungary, granting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the right to rule by decree. On 3 March 2021, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that Fidesz would leave

3010-504: The EPP group after it changed its internal rules (to allow suspension and expulsion of multiple deputies and their groups), although Fidesz remained a suspended member of the EPP itself. On 18 March 2021, Fidesz decided to leave the European People's Party. In June 2024, The Hungarian Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP), who serve in government with Fidesz, left the European People's Party. That same month, members of

3096-590: The EPP had been reluctant for years to address Fidesz's stance against the rule of law, expressed by the Article 7 proceedings of the European Parliament . On the other hand, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker , a prominent EPP-member, stated "I believe his [Fidesz's] place is not in the European People's Party". Orbán's campaigns targeting billionaire George Soros and Jean-Claude Juncker carried wide reverberations for Europe questioning

3182-510: The EPP the same year. The EPP has had seven Presidents: During its Congress in Bucharest in 2012, the EPP updated its political platform after 20 years (since its Congress in Athens in 1992) and approved a political manifesto in which it summarised its main values and policies. The manifesto highlights: The manifesto also describes the EPP's priorities for the EU, including: As

3268-558: The EPP's effort to install its lead candidate Manfred Weber as the next President of the European Commission . After years of deferring a decision about the Fidesz issue, the EPP was eventually compelled to address the problem two months before the 2019 European elections, as 13 outraged member parties requested the Hungarian party's exclusion from the EPP due to its billboard campaign featuring Jean-Claude Juncker. 190 of

3354-504: The EPP's organs and on all matters. Associate members have the same voting rights as full members except for matters concerning the EU's structure or policies. These associate members are parties from EU candidate countries and EFTA countries. Observer parties can participate in all the activities of the EPP, and attend the Congresses and Political Assemblies, but they do not have any voting rights. Special status of "supporting member"

3440-565: The EPP. Many of the founding fathers of the European Union were also from parties that later formed the EPP. The EPP includes major centre-right parties such as the CDU/CSU of Germany, ÖVP of Austria, CD&V of Belgium, PNL of Romania, Fine Gael of Ireland, National Coalition Party of Finland, New Democracy of Greece, the Moderates of Sweden, the People's Party (PP) of Spain,

3526-554: The EU and in the UK's relationship with it. These were: additional immigration controls, especially for citizens of new EU member states; tougher immigration rules for present EU citizens; new powers for national parliaments collectively to veto proposed EU laws; new free-trade agreements and a reduction in bureaucracy for businesses; a lessening of the influence of the European Court of Human Rights on British police and courts; more power for individual member states, and less for

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3612-554: The EU every week. The Britain Stronger in Europe campaign argued that leaving the European Union would damage the UK economy, and that the status of the UK as a world influence was hinged upon its membership. The tables list political parties with representation in the House of Commons or the House of Lords , the European Parliament , the Scottish Parliament , the Northern Ireland Assembly ,

3698-617: The EU that sought to become the official Leave campaign: Leave.EU (which was endorsed by most of UKIP , including Nigel Farage ), and Vote Leave (endorsed by Conservative Party Eurosceptics). In January 2016, Nigel Farage and the Leave.EU campaign became part of the Grassroots Out movement, which was borne out of infighting between Vote Leave and Leave.EU campaigners. In April, the Electoral Commission announced that Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave were to be designated as

3784-663: The European Union of Christian Democrats , founded in 1965. In the late 1990s, the Finnish politician Sauli Niinistö negotiated the merger of the European Democrat Union (EDU), of which he was president, into the EPP. In October 2002, the EDU ceased its activities after being formally absorbed by the EPP at a special event in Estoril, Portugal. In recognition of his efforts, Niinistö was elected Honorary President of

3870-471: The European Union or leave the European Union? with the responses to the question (to be marked with a single (X)): Remain a member of the European Union Leave the European Union and in Welsh : A ddylai'r Deyrnas Unedig aros yn aelod o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd neu adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd? with the responses (to be marked with a single (X)): Aros yn aelod o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd Gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd Prior to being officially announced, it

3956-432: The Leave campaign, including the Conservative MP Sir Gerald Howarth , criticised the government's decision to extend the deadline, alleging it gave Remain an advantage because many late registrants were young people who were considered to be more likely to vote for Remain. According to provisional figures from the Electoral Commission, almost 46.5 million people were eligible to vote. Nottingham City Council emailed

4042-407: The Leave result have been the subject of analysis and commentary. Immediately after the result , financial markets reacted negatively worldwide, and Cameron announced that he would resign as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party , which he did in July. The referendum prompted an array of international reactions . Jeremy Corbyn faced a Labour Party leadership challenge as a result of

4128-427: The Republic of Ireland, of Malta , or of the Republic of Cyprus . The Representation of the People Acts 1983 (1983 c. 2) and 1985 (1985 c. 50) , as amended, also permit certain British citizens (but not other British nationals), who had once lived in the United Kingdom, but had since and in the meantime lived outside of the United Kingdom, but for a period of no more than 15 years, to vote. Voting on

4214-486: The UK and the EU. Individuals who are either members of the Conservative Party or who are independent conservatives (ideologically centre-right but without membership of any political party) are permitted to join. The CEF has a large number of current and former parliamentarians as members and patrons including former Prime Minister Sir John Major and Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine . 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum Withdrawal of

4300-424: The UK became a topic of debate domestically particularly regarding sovereignty. A referendum on continued membership of the European Communities (EC) to try and settle the issue was held in 1975, resulting in the UK remaining a member. Between 1975 and 2016 as European integration deepened, subsequent EC/EU treaties and agreements were ratified by the UK Parliament . Following the Conservative Party 's victory at

4386-421: The United Kingdom for the purpose of European Union (and European Economic Area (EEA)) membership (as is the case with Gibraltar), would also have been significantly affected by the outcome and impact of the referendum. In October 2015, Britain Stronger in Europe , a cross-party group campaigning for Britain to remain a member of the EU, was formed. There were two rival groups promoting British withdrawal from

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4472-455: The United Kingdom. It extended to include and take legislative effect in Gibraltar , and received royal assent on 17 December 2015. The Act was, in turn, confirmed, enacted and implemented in Gibraltar by the European Union (Referendum) Act 2016 (Gibraltar) , which was passed by the Gibraltar Parliament and entered into law upon receiving the assent of the Governor of Gibraltar on 28 January 2016. The European Union Referendum Act required

4558-462: The United Kingdom’s relationship with Europe were held and successive British governments integrated further into the European project, which gained focus when the Maastricht Treaty established the European Union (EU) in 1993, which incorporated (and after the Lisbon Treaty , succeeded) the European Communities. At the May 2012 NATO summit meeting , UK Prime Minister David Cameron , Foreign Secretary William Hague and Ed Llewellyn discussed

4644-479: The central EU; and abandonment of the EU notion of "ever closer union". He intended to bring these about during a series of negotiations with other EU leaders and then, if re-elected, to announce a referendum. In November that year, Cameron gave an update on the negotiations and further details of his aims. The key demands made of the EU were: on economic governance, to recognise officially that Eurozone laws would not necessarily apply to non-Eurozone EU members and

4730-404: The chairmanship of David Baker. The organisation was originally called the European Forum and its first annual general Meeting was held just after Sir Edward Heath 's General Election victory in 1970. With the resignation of French President Charles De Gaulle who opposed UK membership of the EEC and the election of Edward Heath (a staunch pro-European) negotiations commenced for the UK to join

4816-424: The changes in focus, priorities and mission for the organisation. Now that the UK has left the European Union with a deal, CEF offers a home to Conservative supporters who favour close, strategic relationships with Europe. The organisation aims to be the leading centre-right organisation advocating for closer links with the countries and institutions of Europe. The Conservative European Forum was founded in 1969 under

4902-436: The day of the referendum was from 0700 to 2200 BST ( WEST ) (0700 to 2200 CEST in Gibraltar) in some 41,000 polling stations staffed by over 100,000 poll workers . Each polling station was specified to have no more than 2,500 registered voters. Under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000 , postal ballots were also permitted in the referendum and were sent out to eligible voters some three weeks ahead of

4988-429: The government promised to implement the result. Official campaigning took place between 15 April and 23 June 2016. The official group for remaining in the EU was Britain Stronger in Europe while Vote Leave was the official group endorsing leaving. Other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, trade unions, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved, with both sides having supporters from across

5074-436: The idea of using a European Union referendum as a concession to the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party. On 20 June 2012, a three-clause private member's bill was introduced into the House of Commons by the then Eurosceptic MP Douglas Carswell to end the United Kingdom’s EU membership and repeal the European Communities Act 1972, but without containing any commitment to the holding of any referendum. It received

5160-429: The initiative of Jean Seitlinger ; Leo Tindemans , then Prime Minister of Belgium , who became the first President of the EPP; and Wilfried Martens , who later became both President of the EPP and Prime Minister of Belgium. It had been preceded by the Secretariat International des partis démocratiques d'inspiration chrétienne , founded in 1925, the Nouvelles Equipes Internationales , founded in 1946 (or 1948), and

5246-607: The issue. Campaign issues included the costs and benefits of membership for the UK's economy, freedom of movement and migration. Several allegations of unlawful campaigning and Russian interference arose during and after the referendum. The results recorded 51.9% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving. Most areas of England and Wales had a majority for Leave, and the majority of voters in Scotland , Northern Ireland , Greater London and Gibraltar chose Remain. Voter preference correlated with age, level of education and socioeconomic factors. The causes and reasoning of

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5332-588: The latter would not have to bail out troubled Eurozone economies; on competitiveness, to expand the single market and to set a target for the reduction of bureaucracy for businesses; on sovereignty, for the UK to be legally exempted from "ever closer union" and for national parliaments to be able collectively to veto proposed EU laws; and, on immigration, for EU citizens going to the UK for work to be unable to claim social housing or in-work benefits until they had worked there for four years, and for them to be unable to send child benefit payments overseas. The outcome of

5418-412: The new system of voting without further legislation, provided that the boundary changes also provided for in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 were also implemented. In the event, there was a substantial majority against any change. The 1975 referendum was held after the re-negotiated terms of the UK's EC membership had been agreed by all EC Member States, and the terms set out in

5504-457: The newly elected Hungarian Tisza Party led by Peter Magyar , a former Fidesz insider, applied to join EPP. In April 2023, Belgian police and German investigators carried out a raid at the EPP headquarters in Brussels as part of an investigation in Germany. Within the EPP there are three kinds of member organisations: full members, associate members and observers. Full members are parties from EU states. They have absolute rights to vote in all

5590-407: The official launch of the campaign. He also announced that Parliament would enact secondary legislation on 22 February relating to the European Union Referendum Act 2015. With the official launch, ministers of the UK Government were then free to campaign on either side of the argument in a rare exception to Cabinet collective responsibility . The right to vote in the referendum in the United Kingdom

5676-457: The official remain and leave campaigns respectively. This gave them the right to spend up to £7,000,000, a free mailshot, TV broadcasts and £600,000 in public funds. The UK Government's official position was to support the Remain campaign. Nevertheless, Cameron announced that Conservative Ministers and MPs were free to campaign in favour of remaining in the EU or leaving it, according to their conscience. This decision came after mounting pressure for

5762-425: The party elected as its President Manfred Weber , who was also EPP's Spitzenkandidat in 2019. The EPP has been the largest party in the European Parliament since 1999 and in the European Council since 2002. It is also the largest party in the current European Commission . The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola are from

5848-441: The political spectrum. Parties in favour of remaining included Labour , the Liberal Democrats , the Scottish National Party , Plaid Cymru and the Green Party ; while the UK Independence Party campaigned in favour of leaving; and the Conservative Party remained neutral. In spite of the Conservative and Labour Party's official positions, both parties allowed their Members of Parliament to publicly campaign for either side of

5934-421: The principle of a referendum. When the Conservative Party won a majority of seats in the House of Commons at the 2015 general election , Cameron reiterated his party's manifesto commitment to hold an in-out referendum on UK membership of the EU by the end of 2017, but only after "negotiating a new settlement for Britain in the EU". In early 2014, David Cameron outlined the changes he aimed to bring about in

6020-460: The referendum from the government, a leaflet was sent to every household in the UK. It contained details about why the government believed the UK should remain in the EU. This leaflet was criticised by those wanting to leave as giving the remain side an unfair advantage; it was also described as being inaccurate and a waste of taxpayers' money (it cost £9.3m in total). During the campaign, Nigel Farage suggested that there would be public demand for

6106-426: The referendum had to be held no later than 31 December 2017. The draft legislation was taken forward as a Private member's bill by Conservative MP James Wharton which was known as the European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013 . The bill's First Reading in the House of Commons took place on 19 June 2013. Cameron was said by a spokesperson to be "very pleased" and would ensure the Bill was given "the full support of

6192-700: The referendum unless they were also previous residents of the United Kingdom (that is: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Some residents of the Isle of Man protested that they, as full British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 and living within the British Islands , should also have been given the opportunity to vote in the referendum, as the Isle and the Bailiwicks, although not included as if they were part of

6278-599: The referendum. In 2017, the UK gave formal notice of intent to withdraw from the EU, with the withdrawal being formalised in 2020. The European Communities were formed in the 1950s – the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952, and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) and European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957. The EEC, the more ambitious of

6364-517: The referendum. The electorate of 46,500,001 represented 70.8% of the population of 65,678,000 ( UK and Gibraltar ). Other than the residents of Gibraltar, British Overseas Territories Citizens residing in the British Overseas Territories were unable to vote in the referendum. Residents of the United Kingdom who were citizens of other EU countries were not allowed to vote unless they were citizens (or were also citizens) of

6450-568: The renegotiations was announced in February 2016. The renegotiated terms were in addition to the United Kingdom's existing opt-outs in the European Union and the UK rebate . The significance of the changes to the EU-UK agreement was contested and speculated upon, with none of the changes considered fundamental, but some considered important to many British people. Some limits to in-work benefits for EU immigrants were agreed, but these would apply on

6536-500: The scope of free movement rights, third country nationals who had no prior lawful residence in a Member State before marrying a Union citizen" and to make it easier for member states to deport EU nationals for public policy or public security reasons. The extent to which the various parts of the agreement would be legally binding is complex; no part of the agreement itself changed EU law, but some parts could be enforceable in international law. The EU had reportedly offered David Cameron

6622-402: The three, came to be known as the "Common Market". The UK first applied to join them in 1961, but this was vetoed by France. A later application was successful, and the UK joined in 1973; two years later, a national referendum on continuing EC membership resulted in 67.2% voting “Yes” in favour of continued membership, on a 64.6% national turnout. However, no further referendums on the issue of

6708-490: The timing, other than requiring the Secretary of State to bring forward orders by the end of 2016. [...] If no party obtained a majority at the [next general election due in 2015], there might be some uncertainty about the passage of the orders in the next Parliament. The bill received its Second Reading on 5 July 2013, passing by 304 votes to none after almost all Labour MPs and all Liberal Democrat MPs abstained, cleared

6794-614: The vote (2 June 2016). The minimum age for voters in the referendum was set to 18 years, in line with the Representation of the People Act, as amended. A House of Lords amendment proposing to lower the minimum age to 16 years was rejected. The deadline to register to vote was initially midnight on 7 June 2016; however, this was extended by 48 hours owing to technical problems with the official registration website on 7 June, caused by unusually high web traffic. Some supporters of

6880-929: The years of the Thatcher, Major and Cameron governments, CEF was active in support of pro-European Conservative policies including the creation of the Single Market, the Maastricht Treaty, enlargement to include the countries of Southern Europe and later Central and Eastern Europe. Former Chairs of the organisation include, Sir James Spicer, Edwina Currie, Robert Walter, John Gummer (Lord Deben), Lord Brittan, David Curry, Ian Taylor, John Bowis and Neil Carmichael. Many Conservative politicians have also been associated including, Norman St John-Stevas, Lord Carrington, Douglas Hurd, Francis Pym, Chris Patten, Tom Spencer (former MEP) and Sir Tony Baldry. CEF remains an active organisation and campaigns both inside and outside

6966-597: Was initially unable to confirm the exact number of those affected. The matter was resolved by the issuance of a software patch which rendered the wrongly recorded electors ineligible to vote on 23 June. Residents of the Crown Dependencies (which are not part of the United Kingdom), namely the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey , even if they were British citizens, were excluded from

7052-467: Was modified to allow national parliaments collectively to object to proposed EU laws, in which case the European Council would reconsider the proposal before itself deciding what to do. On economic governance, anti-discrimination regulations for non-Eurozone members would be reinforced, but they would be unable to veto any legislation. The final two areas covered were proposals to "exclude from

7138-515: Was suggested at the time that Cameron was planning to hold the referendum in October 2016, but the European Union Referendum Act 2015, which authorised it, went before the House of Commons the following day, just three weeks after the election. On the bill's second reading on 9 June, members of the House of Commons voted by 544 to 53 in favour, endorsing the principle of holding a referendum, with only

7224-476: Was tested before legislation was introduced. The UK does not have constitutional provisions which would require the results of a referendum to be implemented , unlike, for example, the Republic of Ireland , where the circumstances in which a binding referendum should be held are set out in its constitution . In contrast, the legislation that provided for the referendum held on AV in May 2011 would have implemented

7310-504: Was the most neutral wording from the range of options ... considered and tested", citing responses to its consultation by a diverse range of consultees. The proposed question was accepted by the government in September 2015, shortly before the bill's third reading. The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum under the Act was: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of

7396-501: Was widely speculated that a June date for the referendum was a serious possibility. The First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales co-signed a letter to Cameron on 3 February 2016 asking him not to hold the referendum in June, as devolved elections were scheduled to take place the previous month on 5 May. These elections had been postponed for a year to avoid a clash with the 2015 general election, after Westminster had implemented

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