We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to plet the people decide on the future relationship between Britain and the European Union and not pass through new treaties without consulting the voters.”
Details of Petition:
“Ever since Britain joined the Common Market in 1973, more and more powers have been handed to Brussels without the voters being granted a referendum. Now that huge elements of the EU Constitution are being brought in by the new ‘Reform Treaty’, it is time for the British people to have their say on our future relationship with the EU. I say, Let the People Decide.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
The Government believes that EU Membership is firmly in Britain’s national interest, and remains committed to ensuring that the EU is focussed on adding value for its citizens.
Our membership of the EU has brought real benefits in jobs, peace and security. Through it, we belong to the world’s biggest trading bloc. Half the UK’s trade is now within the EU, with an estimated 3.5 million British jobs linked to it. Our membership allows us to live, work and travel across Europe and to receive free medical care if we fall sick on holiday. And each citizen benefits in ways that are harder to quantify in cash terms, such as a cleaner environment, trade deals negotiated by the EU, and better security.
There was a referendum on UK membership of the European Economic Community in June 1975, which was passed in favour of membership. Thereafter, each Treaty change has been approved by the democratically elected British Parliament. No government, Labour or Conservative, has ever held a referendum on an amending European treaty. Parliament remains the correct place for debate and decision on such treaties.
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