Having repeatedly called locally and in Parliament for a referendum on our membership of the European Union, I will be voting this Friday for the European Union (Referendum) Bill which will pave the way for an IN/OUT referendum.
I am delighted, therefore, that the Conservative Party has launched a new campaign website, www.LetBritainDecide.com, which makes it simple for anybody to back Friday’s Bill.
www.LetBritainDecide.com will help build public pressure, to ensure that people are given their voice, and to urge Labour to listen to Britons.
I have often remarked that I had just turned six years old when the last referendum on Europe was held and that was, we were told at the time, to join a free trading area. In that time, so much has changed. From my own experiences on the doorsteps around Crawley, I know how strongly local residents feel about the EU and the direction that it is heading in.
We need to negotiate a fresh settlement in the EU that is better for Great Britain - and then that settlement needs to be put to the British people in a clear, simple, no-nonsense referendum. Either IN or OUT. But currently, only one of the main three political parties are supporting this: the Conservatives.
The importance of this Friday’s House of Commons business cannot be underestimated. MPs will vote on a referendum, but it will need the support of either Labour or Liberal Democrat MPs to pass. That is why public pressure will be crucial in getting the other parties to unite behind a referendum. Please visit www.LetBritainDecide.com and get involved. This is not just a Conservative campaign – it is for everyone who believes the British public deserve a say.
Henry Smith MP