Britons are to be asked if they wish to “remain a member of the European Union” in the well-publicised in-out referendum.
The full question in the referendum bill is: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?”
The disclosure came from Downing Street.
Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated that the vote will take place by the end of 2017. Some pundits, however, believe the vote could come instead in 2016.
He also suggested that he would like the EU Referendum Bill, which was part of the Queen’s Speech, should pass through Parliament in “extra quick time”.
An earlier bill suggested the question should be: “Do you think that the United Kingdom should be a member of the European Union?” But the Electoral Commission said its tests had shown that some people did not know if the UK was already a member and this “risk of misunderstanding” called for a more straight-forward question.
A Number 10 source said: “The introduction of the EU Referendum Bill is a concrete step towards settling the debate about the UK’s membership of the EU. It will pave the way for the British people to have their say for the first time in forty years on our place in the EU.”
The prime minister has pledged to campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he can achieve reforms from Brussels in the next few months.
Today he began his whirlwind charm offensive across many countries of Europe to muster support with fellow EU leaders.
