9 referendums

• Referendums are a popular vote on a particular issue usually requiring a yes or no vote
• Referendums are an example of direct democracy within a representative system in the UK
• There is no constitutional mechanism requiring a UK Prime Minister to hold a referendum, they are called at the discretion of the government
• Referendums in the UK do not have legal force, they have to be approved by Parliament which has legal sovereignty
• Some referendums, like the EU referendum, are purely advisory with Parliament having to take action to implement the result
• Other referendums, like the AV referendum, have provisions for the result to be immediately implemented
• UK-wide referendums since 1997

  • 2011 AV referendum
  • 2016 Brexit referendum
• Referendums in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Referendums to legitimate devolution
  • 2011 Welsh further devolution referendum
  • Scottish independence referendum
• Examples of local referendums in the UK


  • 1998 Greater London Authority referendum
  • 2004 Northeast of England region assembly referendum
  • 2005 Edinburgh congestion charge referendum
  • 2012 referendums on directly elected mayors
• AV referendum


  • Campaigned for by Lib Dems, SMP, Plaid Cymru and other small parties
  • Majority of Labour MPs supported No campaign
  • Conservative Party and DUP campaigned for No
  • Majority of the press supported No campaign
  • Result was a conclusive rejection of AV at a low turnout of 42.2%
• 2014 Scottish independence referendum


  • Agreed to by Scottish and UK governments
  • Yes Scotland campaign backed by SNP and Scottish Greens
  • Better Together campaign backed by majority of UK parties
  • Result was 55.3% No vote on 84.6% turnout
  • Key issues were further devolution, currency, EU membership, Trident, North Sea oil
• 2016 Brexit referendum

  • Called by Conservative party after 2015 election manifesto pledge
  • Remain campaign led by Britain Stronger in Europe, backed by PM, majority of Labour and Conservatives
  • Leave campaign led by Vote Leave, fronted by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, backed by UKIP
  • Result was 52% Leave vote on 72.2% turnout
  • Key issues were immigration, national sovereignty, economy, EU membership costs
• The conduct of referendums in the UK is regulated by the independent Electoral Commission
• The Electoral Commission checks the wording of referendum questions to ensure they are objective
• The 2019 general election put to bed the Brexit issue and the second referendum campaign
• Referendums in the UK

  Regulated by the Electoral Commission, an independent body responsible for checking the wording of referendum questions to ensure they are as objective as possible
• Example of the Electoral Commission's role

  • In 2016, the government had originally proposed to ask "Should the UK remain a member of the EU?", but the EC considered it to be insufficiently neutral and changed it to "Should the UK remain a member of the EU or leave the EU?"
• Role of the Electoral Commission


  • Manages campaign expenditure, registers groups or individuals who spend more than £10,000, and designates one approved lead campaign organization on each side
• The Electoral Commission's report following the EU referendum noted the significance of lying and misleading during the referendum campaign, particularly on behalf of the leave campaign
• Reasons referendums have been held in the UK

  • To give legitimacy to key constitutional changes and major government initiatives
  • Due to party motivations
  • As a result of a deal between political parties
  • Due to pressure from the public and Parliament
• Referendums' impact on UK political life

  Conflict with parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy, high turnouts reflecting dissatisfaction with the political class, deeply divisive and profoundly changed the normal politics of representative democracy
• Arguments in favor of referendums

  • Involve the people in key decisions, improve democracy, enable a single issue to be isolated, give legitimacy to key reforms, increase political awareness
• Arguments against referendums

  • Challenge parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy, popular participation is often low, can be held for party political purposes, results can be influenced by factors other than the referendum issue itself
• Potential reforms to referendums

  • Greater use of referendums, greater thresholds for constitutional changes, two-stage referendums, regulating when referendums can be called