A Sensible Amendment - Any EU Vote Must Be In or Out

A group of 2010 intake MPs have tabled an amendment to the EU Referendum motion, to be voted on in the House on Monday. I hope the Speaker selects this amendment for debate, as it makes a much more sensible case for a referendum.



The amended motion would read: "This House calls upon the Government to publish a White Paper during the next session of parliament setting out the powers and competences that the Government would seek to repatriate from the EU, to commence a renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the EU and to put the outcome of those negotiations to a national referendum.”


That allows the Government to renegotiate our relationship with Europe and then have the much needed in/out vote on the resulting deal. Rather than having a 3 option referendum which the original motion calls for.

A 3-way vote simply fails to address the issue and final settle the debate over the EU. A spilt vote and narrow victory for any of the options would not be ideal, and the most likely outcome – referendum call for renegotiation could be more damaging to the argument. With the euro-sceptics saying not enough has been achieved through renegotiation and the pro-Europeans arguing too much has been.

If we are to have an EU vote, it must settle the debate once and for all. Only an in/out referendum will do that.