77-608: Walsall North was a constituency in the West Midlands represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament , created in 1955. The local electorate returned a Labour MP in the constituency's first seventeen general elections; in the following election Eddie Hughes became its second Conservative MP, following an earlier by-election win by his party in 1976. The constituency consisted of green-buffered urban areas across one half of
154-424: A Vote Leave supporter to say that the council was unable to check whether the nationality that people stated on their voting registration form was true, and hence that they simply had to assume that the information that was submitted was, indeed, correct. 3,462 EU nationals were wrongly sent postal voting cards, due to an IT issue experienced by Xpress, an electoral software supplier to a number of councils. Xpress
231-526: A free vote for ministers. In an exception to the usual rule of cabinet collective responsibility , Cameron allowed cabinet ministers to campaign publicly for EU withdrawal. A Government-backed campaign was launched in April. On 16 June, all official national campaigning was suspended until 19 June following the murder of Jo Cox . After internal polls suggested that 85% of the UK population wanted more information about
308-573: A command paper and agreed by both Houses. Following the 2016 referendum, the High Court confirmed that the result was not legally binding, owing to the constitutional principles of parliamentary sovereignty and representative democracy, and the legislation authorising the referendum did not contain clear words to the contrary. Research by the Electoral Commission confirmed that its recommended question "was clear and straightforward for voters, and
385-750: A further transfer of powers from the UK to the EU were to be proposed. In their manifesto for the 2015 general election, the Liberal Democrats pledged to hold an in-out referendum only in the event of there being a change in the EU treaties. The UK Independence Party (UKIP), the British National Party (BNP), the Green Party , the Democratic Unionist Party and the Respect Party all supported
462-639: A member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). The result was a vote in favour of leaving the EU, triggering calls to begin the process of the country's withdrawal from the EU commonly termed " Brexit ". Since 1973 , the UK had been a member state of the EU and its predecessor the European Communities (principally the European Economic Community ), along with other international bodies. The constitutional implications of membership for
539-593: A reduction of 13 seats. Primary legislation provides for the independence of the boundary commissions for each of the four parts of the UK, the number of seats for each of the countries, permissible factors to use in departing from any old boundaries, and a strong duty to consult. The Fifth Review was governed by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act of 1986 . Under the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 , as amended by
616-467: A referendum on whether the UK should remain in or leave the EU. The Conservative Party published a draft EU Referendum Bill in May 2013, and outlined its plans for renegotiation followed by an in-out vote (i.e. a referendum giving options only of leaving and of remaining in under the current terms, or under new terms if these had become available), were the party to be re-elected in 2015. The draft Bill stated that
693-584: A referendum to be held on the question of the UK's continued membership of the European Union (EU) before the end of 2017. It did not contain any requirement for the UK Government to implement the results of the referendum. Instead, it was designed to gauge the electorate's opinion on EU membership. The referendums held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1997 and 1998 are examples of this type, where opinion
770-531: A sample of the actual ballot paper, and a whole page each was given to the campaign groups Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave to present their case. The Vote Leave campaign argued that if the UK left the EU, national sovereignty would be protected, immigration controls could be imposed, and the UK would be able to sign trade deals with the rest of the world. The UK would also be able to stop membership payments to
847-564: A second reading in a half-hour long debate in the chamber on 26 October 2012, but did not progress any further. In January 2013, Cameron delivered the Bloomberg speech and promised that, should the Conservatives win a parliamentary majority at the 2015 general election , the British government would negotiate more favourable arrangements for continuing British membership of the EU, before holding
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#1732858860814924-510: A second referendum should the result be a remain win closer than 52–48%, because the leaflet meant that the remain side had been permitted to spend more money than the leave side. In the week beginning on 16 May, the Electoral Commission sent a voting guide regarding the referendum to every household within the UK and Gibraltar to raise awareness of the upcoming referendum. The eight-page guide contained details on how to vote, as well as
1001-636: A sixth of Scotland, to the densely-populated London constituency of Islington North . As of the 2024 election there are 543 constituencies in England, 32 in Wales, 57 in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland. The "Region" of the table refers to the NUTS 1 statistical region of England , which coincides with the former European Parliament constituency in which the constituency was included until 31 January 2020. Following
1078-584: A sliding scale for four years and would be for new immigrants only; before they could be applied, a country would have to get permission from the European Council . Child benefit payments could still be made overseas, but these would be linked to the cost of living in the other country. On sovereignty, the UK was reassured that it would not be required to participate in "ever closer union"; these reassurances were "in line with existing EU law". Cameron's demand to allow national parliaments to veto proposed EU laws
1155-521: A so-called "emergency brake", which would have allowed the UK to withhold social benefits to new immigrants for the first four years after they arrived; this brake could have been applied for a period of seven years. That offer was still on the table at the time of the Brexit referendum, but expired when the vote determined that the UK would leave the EU. Cameron claimed that "he could have avoided Brexit had European leaders let him control migration", according to
1232-582: Is defined by the legislation as limited to residents of the United Kingdom who were either also Commonwealth citizens under Section 37 of the British Nationality Act 1981 (which include British citizens and other British nationals ), or those who were also citizens of the Republic of Ireland , or both. Members of the House of Lords , who could not vote in general elections, were able to vote in
1309-560: Is no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062. The exceptions to this rule are five 'protected' constituencies for island areas: Orkney and Shetland , Na h-Eileanan an Iar , Ynys Mon , and two constituencies on the Isle of Wight . These consequently have smaller electorates than the lower limit for other constituencies. As the number of electors in each constituency is similar, the constituencies themselves vary considerably in area, ranging in 2019 from Ross, Skye and Lochaber , which occupies
1386-594: The Financial Times . However, Angela Merkel said that the offer had not been made by the EU. Merkel stated in the German Parliament: "If you wish to have free access to the single market then you have to accept the fundamental European rights as well as obligations that come from it. This is as true for Great Britain as for anybody else." The planned referendum was included in the Queen's Speech on 27 May 2015. It
1463-528: The 2010 general election after proposals made by the boundary commissions for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies ) were adopted through statutory instruments . Constituencies in Scotland remained unchanged, as the Boundary Commission for Scotland had completed a review just before the 2005 general election , which had resulted in
1540-502: The 2015 general election as a main manifesto pledge, the legal basis for the EU referendum was established through the European Union Referendum Act 2015 . Prime Minister David Cameron also oversaw a renegotiation of the terms of EU membership , intending to implement these changes in the event of a Remain result. The referendum was legally non-binding due to the ancient principle of parliamentary sovereignty , although
1617-529: The Fixed-term Parliament Act . Cameron refused this request, saying people were able to make up their own minds in multiple elections spaced at least six weeks from each other. On 20 February 2016, Cameron announced that the UK Government would formally recommend to the British people that the UK should remain a member of a reformed European Union and that the referendum would be held on 23 June, marking
SECTION 20
#17328588608141694-576: The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020 , the number of MPs is now fixed at 650. The Sainte-Laguë formula method is used to form groups of seats split between the four parts of the United Kingdom and the English regions (as defined by the NUTS 1 statistical regions of England ). The table below gives the number of eligible voters broken down by constituent country, including the average constituency size in each country. As of 2023, every recommended constituency must have an electorate as at 2 March 2020 that
1771-660: The Scottish National Party voting against. In contrast to the Labour Party's position prior to the 2015 general election under Miliband, acting Labour leader Harriet Harman committed her party to supporting plans for an EU referendum by 2017, a position maintained by elected leader Jeremy Corbyn . To enable the referendum to take place, the European Union Referendum Act was passed by the Parliament of
1848-619: The United Kingdom from the European Union The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum , was a referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 to ask the electorate whether the country should continue to remain
1925-875: The Welsh Parliament , or the Gibraltar Parliament at the time of the referendum. Among minor parties, the Socialist Labour Party , the Communist Party of Britain , Britain First , the British National Party (BNP), Éirígí [Ireland], the Respect Party , the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), the Social Democratic Party , the Liberal Party , Independence from Europe , and
2002-586: The dissolution of parliament on 27 March 2015. At the European Parliament election in 2014 , the UK Independence Party (UKIP) secured more votes and more seats than any other party, the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour had topped a nationwide poll in 108 years, leaving the Conservatives in third place. Under Ed Miliband 's leadership between 2010 and 2015, the Labour Party ruled out an in-out referendum unless and until
2079-632: The Commons in November 2013, and was then introduced to the House of Lords in December 2013, where members voted to block the bill. Conservative MP Bob Neill then introduced an Alternative Referendum Bill to the Commons. After a debate on 17 October 2014, it passed to the Public Bills Committee , but because the Commons failed to pass a money resolution , the bill was unable to progress further before
2156-467: The Conservative Party". Regarding the ability of the bill to bind the UK Government in the 2015–20 Parliament (which indirectly, as a result of the referendum itself, proved to last only two years) to holding such a referendum, a parliamentary research paper noted that: The Bill simply provides for a referendum on continued EU membership by the end of December 2017 and does not otherwise specify
2233-547: The EU and in the UK's relationship with it. These were: additional immigration controls, especially for citizens of new EU member states; tougher immigration rules for present EU citizens; new powers for national parliaments collectively to veto proposed EU laws; new free-trade agreements and a reduction in bureaucracy for businesses; a lessening of the influence of the European Court of Human Rights on British police and courts; more power for individual member states, and less for
2310-534: The EU every week. The Britain Stronger in Europe campaign argued that leaving the European Union would damage the UK economy, and that the status of the UK as a world influence was hinged upon its membership. The tables list political parties with representation in the House of Commons or the House of Lords , the European Parliament , the Scottish Parliament , the Northern Ireland Assembly ,
2387-606: The EU that sought to become the official Leave campaign: Leave.EU (which was endorsed by most of UKIP , including Nigel Farage ), and Vote Leave (endorsed by Conservative Party Eurosceptics). In January 2016, Nigel Farage and the Leave.EU campaign became part of the Grassroots Out movement, which was borne out of infighting between Vote Leave and Leave.EU campaigners. In April, the Electoral Commission announced that Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave were to be designated as
Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-581: The European Union or leave the European Union? with the responses to the question (to be marked with a single (X)): Remain a member of the European Union Leave the European Union and in Welsh : A ddylai'r Deyrnas Unedig aros yn aelod o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd neu adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd? with the responses (to be marked with a single (X)): Aros yn aelod o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd Gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd Prior to being officially announced, it
2541-509: The Leave campaign, including the Conservative MP Sir Gerald Howarth , criticised the government's decision to extend the deadline, alleging it gave Remain an advantage because many late registrants were young people who were considered to be more likely to vote for Remain. According to provisional figures from the Electoral Commission, almost 46.5 million people were eligible to vote. Nottingham City Council emailed
2618-454: The Leave result have been the subject of analysis and commentary. Immediately after the result , financial markets reacted negatively worldwide, and Cameron announced that he would resign as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party , which he did in July. The referendum prompted an array of international reactions . Jeremy Corbyn faced a Labour Party leadership challenge as a result of
2695-481: The Republic of Ireland, of Malta , or of the Republic of Cyprus . The Representation of the People Acts 1983 (1983 c. 2) and 1985 (1985 c. 50) , as amended, also permit certain British citizens (but not other British nationals), who had once lived in the United Kingdom, but had since and in the meantime lived outside of the United Kingdom, but for a period of no more than 15 years, to vote. Voting on
2772-547: The UK became a topic of debate domestically particularly regarding sovereignty. A referendum on continued membership of the European Communities (EC) to try and settle the issue was held in 1975, resulting in the UK remaining a member. Between 1975 and 2016 as European integration deepened, subsequent EC/EU treaties and agreements were ratified by the UK Parliament . Following the Conservative Party 's victory at
2849-486: The United Kingdom currently has 650 parliamentary constituencies across the constituent countries ( England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland ), each electing a single member of parliament (MP) to the House of Commons by the plurality ( first-past-the-post ) voting system, ordinarily every five years. Voting last took place in all 650 of those constituencies at the United Kingdom general election on 4 July 2024 . The number of seats rose from 646 to 650 at
2926-421: The United Kingdom for the purpose of European Union (and European Economic Area (EEA)) membership (as is the case with Gibraltar), would also have been significantly affected by the outcome and impact of the referendum. In October 2015, Britain Stronger in Europe , a cross-party group campaigning for Britain to remain a member of the EU, was formed. There were two rival groups promoting British withdrawal from
3003-608: The United Kingdom. It extended to include and take legislative effect in Gibraltar , and received royal assent on 17 December 2015. The Act was, in turn, confirmed, enacted and implemented in Gibraltar by the European Union (Referendum) Act 2016 (Gibraltar) , which was passed by the Gibraltar Parliament and entered into law upon receiving the assent of the Governor of Gibraltar on 28 January 2016. The European Union Referendum Act required
3080-686: The United Kingdom’s relationship with Europe were held and successive British governments integrated further into the European project, which gained focus when the Maastricht Treaty established the European Union (EU) in 1993, which incorporated (and after the Lisbon Treaty , succeeded) the European Communities. At the May 2012 NATO summit meeting , UK Prime Minister David Cameron , Foreign Secretary William Hague and Ed Llewellyn discussed
3157-514: The Urban District of Brownhills. 1974–1983 : The County Borough of Walsall wards of Bentley, Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Leamore, Willenhall North and Willenhall South. 1983–2024 : The Metropolitan Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills Leamore, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Short Heath, Willenhall North, and Willenhall South. The seat was created in 1955 from part of Walsall . Its first Member of Parliament
Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-573: The abandonment of the Sixth Periodic Review (the 2018 review), the Boundary Commissions formally launched the 2023 Review on 5 January 2021 and published their final proposals on 28 June 2023. See 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies (2024–present) by region for further details. 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum Withdrawal of
3311-532: The average for the region, 4.7%. Walsall North was one of three constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall . The others were Walsall South and Aldridge-Brownhills . 1955–1964 : The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich, Hatherton, and Leamore, and the Urban District of Brownhills. 1964–1974 : The County Borough of Walsall wards of Birchills, Blakenall, Bloxwich East, Bloxwich West, Hatherton, and Leamore, and
3388-479: The central EU; and abandonment of the EU notion of "ever closer union". He intended to bring these about during a series of negotiations with other EU leaders and then, if re-elected, to announce a referendum. In November that year, Cameron gave an update on the negotiations and further details of his aims. The key demands made of the EU were: on economic governance, to recognise officially that Eurozone laws would not necessarily apply to non-Eurozone EU members and
3465-597: The day of the referendum was from 0700 to 2200 BST ( WEST ) (0700 to 2200 CEST in Gibraltar) in some 41,000 polling stations staffed by over 100,000 poll workers . Each polling station was specified to have no more than 2,500 registered voters. Under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000 , postal ballots were also permitted in the referendum and were sent out to eligible voters some three weeks ahead of
3542-403: The formerly metalworking- and manufacturing-centred town of Walsall , and the main other settlement within its boundaries, Bloxwich . Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , the seat was abolished. Subject to major boundary changes, it was reformed as Walsall and Bloxwich , first contested at the 2024 general election . The constituency was in
3619-429: The government promised to implement the result. Official campaigning took place between 15 April and 23 June 2016. The official group for remaining in the EU was Britain Stronger in Europe while Vote Leave was the official group endorsing leaving. Other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, trade unions, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved, with both sides having supporters from across
3696-438: The heart of an area traditionally focused on manufacturing which retained many mechanical and engineering jobs in its economy. Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, were in November 2012 significantly higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 8.0% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian , not the highest in the region (which was Birmingham Ladywood at 11.1%) but also significantly higher than
3773-618: The idea of using a European Union referendum as a concession to the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party. On 20 June 2012, a three-clause private member's bill was introduced into the House of Commons by the then Eurosceptic MP Douglas Carswell to end the United Kingdom’s EU membership and repeal the European Communities Act 1972, but without containing any commitment to the holding of any referendum. It received
3850-657: The issue. Campaign issues included the costs and benefits of membership for the UK's economy, freedom of movement and migration. Several allegations of unlawful campaigning and Russian interference arose during and after the referendum. The results recorded 51.9% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving. Most areas of England and Wales had a majority for Leave, and the majority of voters in Scotland , Northern Ireland , Greater London and Gibraltar chose Remain. Voter preference correlated with age, level of education and socioeconomic factors. The causes and reasoning of
3927-588: The latter would not have to bail out troubled Eurozone economies; on competitiveness, to expand the single market and to set a target for the reduction of bureaucracy for businesses; on sovereignty, for the UK to be legally exempted from "ever closer union" and for national parliaments to be able collectively to veto proposed EU laws; and, on immigration, for EU citizens going to the UK for work to be unable to claim social housing or in-work benefits until they had worked there for four years, and for them to be unable to send child benefit payments overseas. The outcome of
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#17328588608144004-412: The new system of voting without further legislation, provided that the boundary changes also provided for in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 were also implemented. In the event, there was a substantial majority against any change. The 1975 referendum was held after the re-negotiated terms of the UK's EC membership had been agreed by all EC Member States, and the terms set out in
4081-407: The official launch of the campaign. He also announced that Parliament would enact secondary legislation on 22 February relating to the European Union Referendum Act 2015. With the official launch, ministers of the UK Government were then free to campaign on either side of the argument in a rare exception to Cabinet collective responsibility . The right to vote in the referendum in the United Kingdom
4158-457: The official remain and leave campaigns respectively. This gave them the right to spend up to £7,000,000, a free mailshot, TV broadcasts and £600,000 in public funds. The UK Government's official position was to support the Remain campaign. Nevertheless, Cameron announced that Conservative Ministers and MPs were free to campaign in favour of remaining in the EU or leaving it, according to their conscience. This decision came after mounting pressure for
4235-441: The political spectrum. Parties in favour of remaining included Labour , the Liberal Democrats , the Scottish National Party , Plaid Cymru and the Green Party ; while the UK Independence Party campaigned in favour of leaving; and the Conservative Party remained neutral. In spite of the Conservative and Labour Party's official positions, both parties allowed their Members of Parliament to publicly campaign for either side of
4312-421: The principle of a referendum. When the Conservative Party won a majority of seats in the House of Commons at the 2015 general election , Cameron reiterated his party's manifesto commitment to hold an in-out referendum on UK membership of the EU by the end of 2017, but only after "negotiating a new settlement for Britain in the EU". In early 2014, David Cameron outlined the changes he aimed to bring about in
4389-460: The referendum from the government, a leaflet was sent to every household in the UK. It contained details about why the government believed the UK should remain in the EU. This leaflet was criticised by those wanting to leave as giving the remain side an unfair advantage; it was also described as being inaccurate and a waste of taxpayers' money (it cost £9.3m in total). During the campaign, Nigel Farage suggested that there would be public demand for
4466-426: The referendum had to be held no later than 31 December 2017. The draft legislation was taken forward as a Private member's bill by Conservative MP James Wharton which was known as the European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013 . The bill's First Reading in the House of Commons took place on 19 June 2013. Cameron was said by a spokesperson to be "very pleased" and would ensure the Bill was given "the full support of
4543-450: The referendum unless they were also previous residents of the United Kingdom (that is: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Some residents of the Isle of Man protested that they, as full British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 and living within the British Islands , should also have been given the opportunity to vote in the referendum, as the Isle and the Bailiwicks, although not included as if they were part of
4620-403: The referendum. In 2017, the UK gave formal notice of intent to withdraw from the EU, with the withdrawal being formalised in 2020. The European Communities were formed in the 1950s – the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952, and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) and European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957. The EEC, the more ambitious of
4697-434: The referendum. The electorate of 46,500,001 represented 70.8% of the population of 65,678,000 ( UK and Gibraltar ). Other than the residents of Gibraltar, British Overseas Territories Citizens residing in the British Overseas Territories were unable to vote in the referendum. Residents of the United Kingdom who were citizens of other EU countries were not allowed to vote unless they were citizens (or were also citizens) of
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#17328588608144774-460: The renegotiations was announced in February 2016. The renegotiated terms were in addition to the United Kingdom's existing opt-outs in the European Union and the UK rebate . The significance of the changes to the EU-UK agreement was contested and speculated upon, with none of the changes considered fundamental, but some considered important to many British people. Some limits to in-work benefits for EU immigrants were agreed, but these would apply on
4851-500: The scope of free movement rights, third country nationals who had no prior lawful residence in a Member State before marrying a Union citizen" and to make it easier for member states to deport EU nationals for public policy or public security reasons. The extent to which the various parts of the agreement would be legally binding is complex; no part of the agreement itself changed EU law, but some parts could be enforceable in international law. The EU had reportedly offered David Cameron
4928-402: The three, came to be known as the "Common Market". The UK first applied to join them in 1961, but this was vetoed by France. A later application was successful, and the UK joined in 1973; two years later, a national referendum on continuing EC membership resulted in 67.2% voting “Yes” in favour of continued membership, on a 64.6% national turnout. However, no further referendums on the issue of
5005-433: The timing, other than requiring the Secretary of State to bring forward orders by the end of 2016. [...] If no party obtained a majority at the [next general election due in 2015], there might be some uncertainty about the passage of the orders in the next Parliament. The bill received its Second Reading on 5 July 2013, passing by 304 votes to none after almost all Labour MPs and all Liberal Democrat MPs abstained, cleared
5082-491: The vote (2 June 2016). The minimum age for voters in the referendum was set to 18 years, in line with the Representation of the People Act, as amended. A House of Lords amendment proposing to lower the minimum age to 16 years was rejected. The deadline to register to vote was initially midnight on 7 June 2016; however, this was extended by 48 hours owing to technical problems with the official registration website on 7 June, caused by unusually high web traffic. Some supporters of
5159-439: The vote in 2010. Going into the 2015 general election , Walsall North was 13th on the list of Conservative target seats. Winnick increased his majority to 1,937 — 5.2% of the vote. The 2015 result gave the seat the 22nd-smallest majority of Labour's 232 seats by percentage of majority. Conservative candidates finished runner-up in each election from and including 1979, winning in 2017. The UKIP swing of +17.2% in 2015, coming
5236-1052: The vote. In 2005 and 2010, the BNP saved their deposit by polling more than 5% of the vote. The last time this percentage had been reached by a candidate in Walsall North in other than the top three parties had been 1976. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , the seat was abolished prior to the 2024 general election , with its contents distributed three ways: 52°37′N 2°01′W / 52.61°N 2.01°W / 52.61; -2.01 List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The Parliament of
5313-408: The year before the UK's EU membership referendum , was higher than the national average of 9.5%. The Liberal Democrat , TUSC and Green Party candidates of 2015 won less than 5% of the vote, so lost their deposits . The Liberal Democrats managed to produce their best result since the seat's 1955 creation (counting their two predecessor parties) in 1983, when Liberal A. Bentley polled 20.7% of
5390-476: Was W.T. Wells of the Labour Party , who had been the MP for Walsall. In 1974, he was succeeded by controversial Labour MP John Stonehouse , who was appointed Postmaster General and became infamous for faking his own death, being later jailed for fraud . After resigning from the party in April 1976, he was invited to join the English National Party , becoming their first (and only) MP, before being forced to resign as an MP in August 1976. The ensuing by-election
5467-415: Was initially unable to confirm the exact number of those affected. The matter was resolved by the issuance of a software patch which rendered the wrongly recorded electors ineligible to vote on 23 June. Residents of the Crown Dependencies (which are not part of the United Kingdom), namely the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey , even if they were British citizens, were excluded from
5544-459: Was modified to allow national parliaments collectively to object to proposed EU laws, in which case the European Council would reconsider the proposal before itself deciding what to do. On economic governance, anti-discrimination regulations for non-Eurozone members would be reinforced, but they would be unable to veto any legislation. The final two areas covered were proposals to "exclude from
5621-506: Was suggested at the time that Cameron was planning to hold the referendum in October 2016, but the European Union Referendum Act 2015, which authorised it, went before the House of Commons the following day, just three weeks after the election. On the bill's second reading on 9 June, members of the House of Commons voted by 544 to 53 in favour, endorsing the principle of holding a referendum, with only
5698-471: Was tested before legislation was introduced. The UK does not have constitutional provisions which would require the results of a referendum to be implemented , unlike, for example, the Republic of Ireland , where the circumstances in which a binding referendum should be held are set out in its constitution . In contrast, the legislation that provided for the referendum held on AV in May 2011 would have implemented
5775-496: Was the most neutral wording from the range of options ... considered and tested", citing responses to its consultation by a diverse range of consultees. The proposed question was accepted by the government in September 2015, shortly before the bill's third reading. The question that appeared on ballot papers in the referendum under the Act was: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of
5852-497: Was widely speculated that a June date for the referendum was a serious possibility. The First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales co-signed a letter to Cameron on 3 February 2016 asking him not to hold the referendum in June, as devolved elections were scheduled to take place the previous month on 5 May. These elections had been postponed for a year to avoid a clash with the 2015 general election, after Westminster had implemented
5929-476: Was won by Robin Hodgson , a Conservative . Labour regained the seat in 1979; their candidate was the former Croydon South MP David Winnick , who represented the constituency until 2017. Aside from a marginal majority in 1987 of 3.7%, Winnick's wins from and including 1979 ranged between 7.3% and 29% (the latter twice) until 2010. He fended off a strong challenge from Conservative Helyn Clack, who he beat by 2.7% of
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