Forget ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ or ‘In’ and ‘Out’, the EU referendum question looks set to be a choice between ‘remain’ or ‘leave’. The Electoral Commission has recommended a change from the current question in the EU Referendum Bill:
‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?’
To which the response is either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. This wording could be judged to be helpful for those who want Britain to remain in the EU, as the question was posed in a particularly negative way as well as involving a change from the status quo. The Commission has assessed this wording and has recommended the question should be changed to:
‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?’
And the new responses would be ‘Remain a member of the European Union’ or ‘Leave the European Union’. The government has announced they will accept this new wording and the bill will be amended when Parliament returns next week.
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