IWR in the news

03/03/08

People want to vote on Euro treaty, says ballot

Birmingham Post

Opponents of the European Treaty were celebrating yesterday after a national ballot resulted in overwhelming public support for a referendum on the controversial issue.

More than 150,000 people voted in 10 constituencies in a poll organised by the I Want A Referendum Campaign.

The demand for a referendum was backed by 88 per cent of those voting and rejected by 12 per cent.

Asked whether the UK should approve the EU's Lisbon Treaty, 90 per cent said no and eight per cent said yes.

The turnout, at 36.2 per cent, above the average for UK local government elections and the highest ever for an unofficial ballot, was described as "stunning" by a polling expert.

The vote was organised by a cross-party group of MPs in an effort to put pressure on the Government to hold a referendum on the question of whether Britain should sign the Lisbon Treaty - a replacement for the rejected EU constitution.

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has said Labour's General Election manifesto pledge to hold a referendum on the constitution is no longer relevant.

Although yesterday's vote is not legally binding, the result is bound to embarrass the Government.

Constituencies held by ministers were chosen by the campaigners. Liberal Democrat seats were also targeted because the party is opposed to a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

One of the seats chosen was Redditch, where Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is the MP.

There, almost 16,000 people voted, a 39 per cent turnout. Of those, 89 per cent thought there should be a national referendum and 90 per cent were opposed to the Lisbon Treaty.

The result suggests the European constitution could be a decisive issue at the next election in marginal Labour and Liberal Democrat seats.

Polling expert Anthony Wells from UK Polling Report said: "A turnout in the mid-thirties is stunning for a private referendum, higher than you'd expect to find in some actual local elections.

"Private referendums run the risk of only those sympathetic to the cause taking part in the vote, but with independent opinion polls consistently showing around four-fifths of those who express an opinion support a referendum, these don't seem too out of line."