A record-breaking petition calling for a second referendum on the UK’s membership in the European Union will be debated in the House of Commons on September 5.
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MPs said the huge number of signatories to an online petition started by a De Montfort University student meant it was right to set aside time to discuss the calls but warned the move does not signal support for a fresh poll.
The referendum saw 17.4 million (51.9%) votes cast to leave the European Union, compared with 16.1 million (48.1%) for Remain, with a turnout of 72.2%, according to the Electoral Commission.
The petition, originally started by a “Leave” voter prior to the referendum but subsequently adopted by “Remain” campaigners disappointed with the result, called for a second referendum in the event that the vote for either side was less than 60 percent on a turnout of less than 75 percent.
The statement said: “The act was scrutinised and debated in parliament during its passage and agreed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords”.
Parliament’s petitions committee said it had chose to put the issue forward for a debate due to the large number of signatures.
The debate will allow MPs to express a range of viewpoints on behalf of their constituents, with a government minister to respond to the issues raised at the end of the debate.
But the committee made it clear its response was not an endorsement of the petition.
“The prime minister and government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the prime minister has said, the decision must be respected”.
“A debate in Westminster Hall does not have the power to change the law, and won’t end with the House of Commons deciding whether or not to have a second referendum”.
Any such rule change was always extremely unlikely as it would require retroactively legislating the referendum.
Britain’s Foreign Office has stated that there would be no second referendum, with a statement that said the referendum’s result can not be changed and that the “decision must be respected”.
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Prime Minister elect Theresa May said yesterday: ” Brexit means Brexit, and we must make a success of it”.
