"Do you think that the United Kingdom should be a member of the European Union?"
The Commission tested the question with the public through a well-established process to make sure it was clear, unambiguous and to the point. The research showed that a few people did not know whether or not the UK is currently a member of the EU and this presented a risk of misunderstanding. However, amending the question to make the UK’s current membership status clear while retaining ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ answers presented difficulties with some element of perceived bias remaining in each version tested.
The Commission’s recommendations therefore highlight an important decision for Parliament: whether to retain or move away from the UK’s recent experience of referendum questions using ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ responses. If Parliament wants to retain the use of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ as response options to the referendum question, then the Commission has recommended that that the question should be amended to:
"Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?"
If Parliament decides not to retain a ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ question, the Commission has recommended the following referendum question:
"Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"
The responses would be ‘Remain a member of the European Union’ / ‘Leave the European Union’. Research participants found this the most neutral of all the versions tested. If this were Parliament’s preferred question, the Commission would carry out further testing immediately if the Bill is amended to ensure voters fully understand the different format and can cast their vote with confidence.
Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission said: "Any referendum question must be as clear as possible so that voters understand the important choice they are being asked to make. This is why we have rigorously tested the proposed question and have taken voters’ responses and understanding into account in developing alternatives.
"We found that a few people did not understand whether or not the UK was a member of the EU. Providing enough information to make this clear to people creates a risk of a perception of bias for any question which offers ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ options. That’s why we’re presenting two possible questions to Parliament: one that keeps with the recent tradition of 'Yes / No' referendum questions, and an alternative in a different format which was perceived by voters to be more neutral. Parliament will now need to discuss our advice and decide which approach the Bill should take."
Read the Commission’s full question assessment report and research report here.
Last week the former Conservative Prime Minister, Sir John Major, attacked James Wharton's bill saying it might “pick up a few votes”, but added: “That number of votes would be eminently outnumbered by the number of people who would not vote for the Conservative party because, yet again, they are seen to be split on the subject of Europe. "People do not vote for parties that cannot agree amongst themselves – and why should they? It’s understandable. So I think the Wharton Bill is a negative, not a positive, and it would be better to leave the referendum where it is and to begin the negotiations at an early stage."
But Mr Wharton rejected Sir John's criticism, insisting the Conservative party is “really united behind the Bill” – and that the public is listening. He said: "As the only party in Parliament offering a referendum - and on a sensible timetable, as set out by the prime minister - I am confident anyone who wants this issue addressed once and for all will know that the only way to achieve that is to vote Conservative."
