division_name: Eu Referendum: Timing
motion: <p class="indent" pid="c1444.2/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House notes and regrets that the Government appears set to rush to a referendum on the UK&#8217;s membership of the European Union in June 2016; believes that no case has been made for holding a referendum at such an early stage, and that further, any such needlessly premature date risks contaminating the result; believes that a subject as fundamental as EU membership should be decisively settled after a full and comprehensive debate; notes the recommendations of the Electoral Commission on best practice for referendums; further notes that there are elections happening in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, London and some local authorities in May 2016 and that the First Ministers of each of the devolved administrations have all expressed opposition to a June referendum date; and urges the Government to set the date for the referendum having respect for the May elections as distinct electoral choices.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1448.2/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;needlessly premature date risks contaminating the result&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1448.5/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I&#8217;m not in a hurry. I can hold my referendum any time up until the end of 2017&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1448.5/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;it is more important to get this right than to rush it.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1449.2/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We currently do not know when we will be able to run the process to appoint lead campaigners.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1450.0/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;recommended that the statutory six week process for the designation of lead campaigners should take place shortly before, rather than during the first weeks of the referendum period. This &#8216;early&#8217; designation would provide clarity earlier for voters and campaigners about the status of campaigners.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1452.2/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I guess I should warn you: if I turn out to be particularly clear, you&#8217;ve probably misunderstood what I've said.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1452.2/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I&#8217;m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1455.4/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;it is important that the designation process means that the decision on who are the lead campaign groups for the in and the out campaigns is properly arrived at that and those groups are  clearly designated before the start of the 10-week campaign&#8221;.&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2016-09-07">7 September</phrase> 2015; Vol. 599, c. 157.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1458.6/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;needlessly premature date risks contaminating the result&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1458.6/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a subject as fundamental as EU membership should be decisively settled after a full and comprehensive debate&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1460.0/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;the recommendations of the Electoral Commission on best practice for referendums&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1460.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;provides a good basis for the delivery of a well-run referendum and the effective regulation of referendum campaigners.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1461.2/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The Commission will propose a programme of work&#8221;&#8212;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1461.2/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;by the end of 2016 and subsequently report on an annual basis to the European Parliament and the Council.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1463.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at a European level with a European super-state exercising a new dominance from Brussels.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1464.1/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;When you&#8217;ve mislaid a certain something, keep your cool and don&#8217;t get hot&#8230;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1464.1/6" pwmotiontext="yes">Calculatus eliminatus always helps an awful lot.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1464.1/7" pwmotiontext="yes">The way to find a missing something is to find out where it&#8217;s not.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1465.1/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Your junior Minister David Lidington quoted me several times today in the emergency statement as pointing to the necessary 6 week period between the devolved elections and the referendum.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1465.1/5" pwmotiontext="yes">However, while six weeks clearance is a necessary condition it is not a sufficient one.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1466.3/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;full of sound and fury,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1466.3/5" pwmotiontext="yes">Signifying nothing.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1472.1/2" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;no inherent disinclination on the part of the media from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland&#8230;to cover the referendum; rather, the elections were considered to be a greater priority than the referendum.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c1484.2/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;I want a real agenda of respect between our parliaments&#8230;This agenda is about parliaments working together, of governing with respect, both because I believe Scotland deserves that respect and because I want to try and win Scotland&#8217;s respect as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.&#8221;</p>