| Author (Corporate) | United Kingdom: House of Commons: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The Stationery Office (TSO) |
| Series Title | 12th Report |
| Series Details | (2016-17) HC496 |
| Publication Date | 12/04/2017 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons published a report Lessons learned from the EU Referendum on the 12 April 2017. The report said that any future referendum in the UK should take note of the lessons learned from the execution of the Brexit referendum, including the damage to the reputation of the Civil Service and the lack of preparation for either of the possible outcomes. The Select Committee report mads recommendations which would improve the legislation and regulatory framework for referendums, as well as for the government, civil service and Electoral Commission in the effective conduct and delivery of any future referendums. These recommendations included protecting and strengthening the 'purdah' provisions for referendums and support for the Law Commissions' proposals for the consolidation of referendum and electoral law. The report noted that while the Government did not support a Leave vote, they nonetheless had a constitutional and public obligation to prepare for both outcomes from the referendum. Unfortunately, many of the Government's actions in the run-up to the referendum, which were easily avoidable, appear to have increased public distrust. Machinery of Government In addition, the presentation of government reports, particularly those from the Treasury, and the decision to spend £9.3m on sending a leaflet, advocating a Remain vote, to all UK households, were inappropriate and counterproductive for the Government. The Committee recommended that in the event of future referendums civil servants should be tasked with preparing for both possible outcomes. Confusion as to the possible consequences of a referendum result served only to heighten the potential tensions between referendums and representative democracy and risked increasing the public's disenchantment with politics. |
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| Source Link | https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmpubadm/496/496.pdf |
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| Countries / Regions | United Kingdom |
