EU Referendum 2012

[Harry Hayfield]

In October 2011, the House of Commons voted on a petition brought forward by the new e-petition system for an in/out referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union. Despite the Prime Minister calling for a referendum vote to be defeated, Ed Milliband (sensing a chance for the PM to show his true colours) whipped his Labour MP's to vote for a referendum and thanks to a large number of Eurosceptic Conservative MP's as well the Democratic Unionists, the vote was passed by three votes.

The leglisation for the referendum was passed in August 2012 and arranged to be held on the same day as the police chief elections in November 2012 with the question set by the Electoral Commission as: Do you believe that the United Kingdom should remain a full member of the European Union? with a preamble stating that a YES vote would see the status quo and a NO vote would see the United Kingdom formally withdraw on New Year's Day 2014.

Discuss which campaign David Cameron, Ed Milliband and Nick Clegg would join. The polling during the three months of campaigning and the final result by local police authority area