Overview

This bill mandates a UK-wide referendum on continued EU membership on October 15th, 2012. It outlines the referendum's procedures, including voter eligibility, vote counting, and the legal framework.

Description

The bill sets the date for a referendum on the UK's continued membership of the European Union as October 15th, 2012. The ballot question is explicitly defined (see Schedule).

Voter Eligibility: Those eligible to vote are those who could vote in a UK parliamentary election on the referendum date. Changes to electoral registers after a specific timeframe won't affect eligibility.

Vote Counting: A Chief Counting Officer will oversee the process, appointing counting officers for each constituency. Their certifications of vote counts are legally unchallengeable.

Legal Challenges: The bill explicitly prevents legal challenges to the official vote counts.

Government Spending

The bill mandates that all referendum-related government expenses will be covered by the Consolidated Fund. Additionally, any ministerial expenditure linked to either the referendum or preparations for potential EU withdrawal will be funded through parliamentary appropriations. Specific figures are not provided in the bill itself.

Groups Affected

UK Citizens: All those eligible to vote in a general election will be affected, with the outcome impacting their relationship with the EU.

Government: The government will be responsible for organizing and funding the referendum, and subsequently for implementing the result.

Political Parties: Political parties will be significantly affected by the outcome and will need to adjust their strategies accordingly.

Businesses: Businesses will be affected by the outcome of the referendum due to changes to trade and regulation.

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