Cross-party campaign launched to secure historic referendum
Full support: Tory MP Zac Goldsmith's late father Sir James Goldsmith set up the Referendum Party to campaign on the issue of whether Britain should stay in the EU. His son is backing the latest move
A major political campaign will be launched today aimed at securing a historic
referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU ? or quit Brussels for good.
The cross-party ?People?s Pledge? campaign aims to pile pressure on party leaders and MPs to support a poll that would settle the divisive question of EU membership once and for all.
It hopes to emulate Barack Obama by harnessing the power of the internet to mobilise support in every constituency.
Polling for the campaign launch shows that 61 per cent would like a referendum on whether Britain should remain within the European Union, with just 25 per cent against. A majority of supporters of all three parties back the idea.
It means support for a referendum on the EU is more than double the level for the referendum on changing Britain?s voting system planned for May 5.
Voters will now be invited to sign up to the ?People?s Pledge?, promising to only support candidates at the next election who vow to support a referendum.
The pledges will be registered by constituency on the campaign?s website ? allowing MPs and rival candidates to see the level of support in their area.
The aim is to focus initially on the 100 most marginal seats, where campaigners believe their number of supporters could quickly exceed the majorities of serving MPs.
Prominent Left-winger Mark Seddon, director of the campaign, said the initiative had the potential to tap into ?huge latent demand? for a referendum. He added: ?Our message is simple ? if you believe that the people, and not politicians, should decide the UK?s relationship with the EU, sign the People?s Pledge.
?There is huge latent demand for this, as our polling shows. People are fed up with this denial of democracy in which they are given a referendum on whether there should be extra powers for Wales, but not on the issues they care about because they are deemed too hot to handle.
?We want to put as much pressure on political parties as possible to agree to hold a referendum.
They keep on making promises about referendums but they never deliver. If you are under 54 you have never had a chance to vote on this.?
In 1975, the public voted ?Yes? to the question of whether the UK should remain within the then European Community.
But campaigners say the EU has changed beyond all recognition since then ? making an overwhelming case for a fresh vote on the issue.
Since then five major EU treaties have been passed without a poll, handing Brussels power over huge swathes of British life.
A cross-party campaign has been launched to secure a referendum on whether Britain should remain a member of the EU
Tony Blair?s controversial decision to give away part of Britain?s budget rebate means that our net annual contributions to Brussels have soared to ?8.3billion a year, enough to pay for 275,000 nurses.
Yet EU enlargement has meant Britain?s influence over the future direction of the EU has declined over the period. The UK has just 9 per cent of the votes in the main EU decision-making bodies.
The UK is subject to more than 30,000 new laws, tying many businesses in a mass of red tape.
All three main parties have claimed to support a poll on Europe in the recent past, but none does so now.
David Cameron rejected the idea of an ?in-out? referendum as recently as last week ? and indicated he thought such a vote would lead to Britain leaving the EU.
The People?s Pledge initiative has emerged from a Labour movement, but has quickly attracted support from members of other parties.
Keith Vaz, Labour?s former Europe minister, said he was backing the referendum call even though he supports membership. He said: ?After 38 years of membership of the European Union it is time for the British people to decide where their future lies.?
Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, whose late father Sir James Goldsmith set up the Referendum Party to campaign on the same issue, said he was backing the initiative.
He added: ?We need to see the maximum pressure applied to each and every MP.?
Tory MEP Daniel Hannan said the initiative had the potential to secure a referendum before the next election if enough people signed up.
He added: ?There has not been a referendum on Europe since 1975, yet the nature of the EU has changed out of all recognition since then.
?It ticks every box for a referendum ? it is the major constitutional issue, it divides the parties internally and it is an issue on which, until recently, all three parties were promising a referendum.?
Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, said although the EU did useful work on issues like the environment, it lacked democratic accountability.
She said: ?I support a referendum not because I?m anti-EU ? I?m not ? but because I believe in democracy.?
Ministers have pledged to put in place a ?referendum lock?, which will require Governments to hold a public vote before any new powers are transferred to Brussels.
But critics say the legislation is ?toothless? and warn that several new powers have been given to the EU since the election.
These include extending the EU arrest warrant, and giving Brussels powers to oversee Britain?s budget process.
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Give us a vote on our future in Europe: Cross-party campaign launched to secure historic referendum | Mail Online
Full support: Tory MP Zac Goldsmith's late father Sir James Goldsmith set up the Referendum Party to campaign on the issue of whether Britain should stay in the EU. His son is backing the latest moveA major political campaign will be launched today aimed at securing a historic
referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU ? or quit Brussels for good.
The cross-party ?People?s Pledge? campaign aims to pile pressure on party leaders and MPs to support a poll that would settle the divisive question of EU membership once and for all.
It hopes to emulate Barack Obama by harnessing the power of the internet to mobilise support in every constituency.
Polling for the campaign launch shows that 61 per cent would like a referendum on whether Britain should remain within the European Union, with just 25 per cent against. A majority of supporters of all three parties back the idea.
It means support for a referendum on the EU is more than double the level for the referendum on changing Britain?s voting system planned for May 5.
Voters will now be invited to sign up to the ?People?s Pledge?, promising to only support candidates at the next election who vow to support a referendum.
The pledges will be registered by constituency on the campaign?s website ? allowing MPs and rival candidates to see the level of support in their area.
The aim is to focus initially on the 100 most marginal seats, where campaigners believe their number of supporters could quickly exceed the majorities of serving MPs.
Prominent Left-winger Mark Seddon, director of the campaign, said the initiative had the potential to tap into ?huge latent demand? for a referendum. He added: ?Our message is simple ? if you believe that the people, and not politicians, should decide the UK?s relationship with the EU, sign the People?s Pledge.
?There is huge latent demand for this, as our polling shows. People are fed up with this denial of democracy in which they are given a referendum on whether there should be extra powers for Wales, but not on the issues they care about because they are deemed too hot to handle.
?We want to put as much pressure on political parties as possible to agree to hold a referendum.
They keep on making promises about referendums but they never deliver. If you are under 54 you have never had a chance to vote on this.?
In 1975, the public voted ?Yes? to the question of whether the UK should remain within the then European Community.
But campaigners say the EU has changed beyond all recognition since then ? making an overwhelming case for a fresh vote on the issue.
Since then five major EU treaties have been passed without a poll, handing Brussels power over huge swathes of British life.
A cross-party campaign has been launched to secure a referendum on whether Britain should remain a member of the EUTony Blair?s controversial decision to give away part of Britain?s budget rebate means that our net annual contributions to Brussels have soared to ?8.3billion a year, enough to pay for 275,000 nurses.
Yet EU enlargement has meant Britain?s influence over the future direction of the EU has declined over the period. The UK has just 9 per cent of the votes in the main EU decision-making bodies.
The UK is subject to more than 30,000 new laws, tying many businesses in a mass of red tape.
All three main parties have claimed to support a poll on Europe in the recent past, but none does so now.
David Cameron rejected the idea of an ?in-out? referendum as recently as last week ? and indicated he thought such a vote would lead to Britain leaving the EU.
The People?s Pledge initiative has emerged from a Labour movement, but has quickly attracted support from members of other parties.
Keith Vaz, Labour?s former Europe minister, said he was backing the referendum call even though he supports membership. He said: ?After 38 years of membership of the European Union it is time for the British people to decide where their future lies.?
Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, whose late father Sir James Goldsmith set up the Referendum Party to campaign on the same issue, said he was backing the initiative.
He added: ?We need to see the maximum pressure applied to each and every MP.?
Tory MEP Daniel Hannan said the initiative had the potential to secure a referendum before the next election if enough people signed up.
He added: ?There has not been a referendum on Europe since 1975, yet the nature of the EU has changed out of all recognition since then.
?It ticks every box for a referendum ? it is the major constitutional issue, it divides the parties internally and it is an issue on which, until recently, all three parties were promising a referendum.?
Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, said although the EU did useful work on issues like the environment, it lacked democratic accountability.
She said: ?I support a referendum not because I?m anti-EU ? I?m not ? but because I believe in democracy.?
Ministers have pledged to put in place a ?referendum lock?, which will require Governments to hold a public vote before any new powers are transferred to Brussels.
But critics say the legislation is ?toothless? and warn that several new powers have been given to the EU since the election.
These include extending the EU arrest warrant, and giving Brussels powers to oversee Britain?s budget process.
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Give us a vote on our future in Europe: Cross-party campaign launched to secure historic referendum | Mail Online
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