EU referendum supported in House of Commons
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Yesterday, MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of a referendum which will allow the British public to have a say on whether the UK should remain part of the EU.
The EU Referendum Bill received 544 votes in favour, while 53 were against.
While there are still more stages for the bill to pass through, it is looking increasingly likely that the referendum will take place before the end of 2017.
It is expected that only those eligible to vote in the General Election will be able to vote in the EU referendum. This is despite a new bill being passed which will abolish the 15-year rule which makes British citizens who have lived outside the UK for over 15 years ineligible to vote.
Whether the voting age will be lowered to 16 to allow a younger generation to have their say remains to be seen, although that is likely to be voted on by MPs later this year.
The EU Referendum Bill is supported by both Labour and the Conservatives, although is opposed by the SNP.
In the meantime, David Cameron is focussing his efforts on renegotiating the current terms of Britain’s EU membership ahead of the referendum.
It is expected that Labour will be strongly campaign for a “Yes” vote – for Britain to remain part of the EU, while it would appear that the Conservative Party will also campaign for a “Yes” vote despite opposition from some MPs.