Referendum on European Union Membership and Association Bill

As amended

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 to determine the nature of the United Kingdom's future place relative to (Amdt. A) the European Union.
  2. The referendum is to be held on a date chosen by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Prime Minister (Amdt. B), which is no later than the 31st of December 2021.
  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.
  1. The question asked on the ballot paper shall be “Which course of action do you think the United Kingdom should take regarding its relationship with the European Union?”, furnished with the following choices: Which course of action do you think the UK should take in regards to our relationship with the European Union? (Amdt. A)
    1. Remaining in the European Union and keeping our relationship as it is now
    2. Remaining in the European Union and joining the Euro and Schengen
    3. Leaving the European Union, but becoming part of the Single Market and Customs Union
    4. Leaving the European Union on a negotiated exit whilst leaving the Single Market and Customs Union
    5. Leaving the European Union without a deal
  2. A brief explanation of the items in Section 1.3. shall be provided to electors.
  3. The voting shall be enacted by ranked choice voting. The option HM Government will be advised to adopt is the option that reaches 50% of the vote after progressive eliminations
    4.  (Amdt. D & G)
  4. In accordance with the Languages of the UK Act 2020, the ballot should be supplied in English and the other local official languages.

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. 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) and trigger the article 50 process by no later than 12 months after the referendum if a leaving option is chosen. Except if Remaining as status quo is adopted, the government is legally obliged to hold a second referendum no less than 3 months before the enactment of such a policy, with a simple yes/no plebiscite to ratify the choice. If No is chosen, then status quo resumes, if yes is chosen, then HM Government shall implement what the electorate have chosen. (Amdt. I)
  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.
    3. (Amdt. H)

4 Extent, commencement, and short title

  1. This Act may be cited as the Referendum on European Union Membership and Association Act 2021.
  2. This Act comes into force upon receiving Royal Assent.
  3. This Act extends to the whole of the United Kingdom.
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