Vote on a vote over EU membership (From Thurrock Gazette)

Vote on a vote over EU membership

8:00am Sunday 12th February 2012 in News

THURROCK will hold the first vote about whether Britain should stay in the European Union.

The People’s Pledge, the campaign group calling for the vote, selected the borough to have the first vote as part of its one, ten, hundred campaign.

It will then be followed by ten other constituencies across the country this autumn, with a further 100 in 2013.

Polls will close at 5pm on April 5 and as part of the campaign there will be door-to-door canvassing and residents can take part in public meetings.

Every household in the borough will be sent a voting form through the post by the Electoral Reform Service.

The votes will be used as part of a campaign to force the Government to hold a referendum about Britain’s membership in the EU.

Along with the Thurrock constituency held by Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price, other areas considered to hold the first vote included Ipswich, Bolton and Belfast East.

If the campaign is successful, the referendum could be held by the next Parliament in 2015.

Ian McKenzie, the campaign’s communications director, said: “The last time Britain had a referendum on whether we should stay in the common market was in 1975 and it has changed beyond recognition, from an economic to a political union, since then.

“A referendum would determine the modern view of the British people.”

Mr McKenzie said the 13 constituencies being considered for the first vote were chosen from a range of factors, including representing an even spread of views across the country.

He added: “It is a poll to find out if residents in Britain want to vote nationally on whether we should stay in the EU.”