This Act was authored by the Rt Hon Nicky Clack MP, the Rt Hon Marcail Connolly MP, and the Rt Hon Asratius MP on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, with amendments by the Rt Hon James Krall MP on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, Ian Port MP, Ashley Kanan, Baroness of Beaconsfield, and Alex Lambton, Earl of Durham.

ELIZABETH II

Referendum on European Union Membership and Association Act 2019

2019 CHAPTER 15

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Referendum

1. A referendum is to be held on whether the United Kingdom shall retain membership or association with the European Union.
2. The referendum is to be held on a date chosen by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which is no later than the 31st of July 2019. (2019 June 28)
3. The ballot shall ask two questions, with responses, as follows:
1. "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"
1. "Remain a member of the European Union"
2. "Leave the European Union"
2. "In the event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, which of the following levels of association with the European Union would you approve of?"
1. "Membership in the European Economic Area"
2. "Remaining in the European Single Market"
3. "Remaining in the European Union Customs Union"
4. "Remaining entirely in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice"
5. "Remaining partially in the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice"
6. "None of the above"
3. A brief explanation of the items in subsection (b) shall be provided to electors.
4. Responses to the question asked in section 1(3)(b) are to be furnished each with a single box to indicate approval when ticked, and explicit instructions are to be made on the ballot that leaving a box blank indicates disapproval.
5. In Wales, the ballot must be supplied with all text in both English and Welsh.
6. In Gibraltar, the ballot must be supplied with all text in both English and Spanish.
7. It is permitted for the ballot to be supplied in both English and a language or languages protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages at the discretion of the supplying body.

2 Eligibility to vote in the referendum

1. Those entitled to vote in the referendum are any individual who, on the date of the referendum, is eligible to vote as electors at a—
1. parliamentary election;
2. local government election; or
3. European Parliamentary election in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar.

3 Protocol following the referendum

1. The government shall be legally obliged to abide by the choice supported by the majority of ballots in response to the question laid out in Section 1(3)(a) until such a time that there is a significant change in the nature of the European Union or the United Kingdom's relationship with it.
2. In the event that the government withdraws the United Kingdom from the EU as a result of this referendum
1. a referendum is to be held in Northern Ireland on the topic of unification with the Republic of Ireland; and
2. the effects of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union shall not apply to Northern Ireland until after the aforementioned unification referendum is held.

4 Extent, commencement, and short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Referendum on European Union Membership and Association Act 2019.
2. This Act comes into force upon receiving Royal Assent. (2019 May 13)
3. This Act extends to the whole of the United Kingdom.