Petition · past parliament

EU Referendum Rules triggering a 2nd EU Referendum

Closed 4,150,262 signatures

What the petition asks

We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum.

Government response · 8 July 2016

The European Union Referendum Act received Royal Assent in December 2015, receiving overwhelming support from Parliament. The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout.

The EU Referendum Act received Royal Assent in December 2015. The Act was scrutinised and debated in Parliament during its passage and agreed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Act set out the terms under which the referendum would take place, including provisions for setting the date, franchise and the question that would appear on the ballot paper. The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout.

As the Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House of Commons on 27 June, the referendum was one of the biggest democratic exercises in British history with over 33 million people having their say. The Prime Minister and Government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the Prime Minister has said, the decision must be respected. We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the Government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Debate in Parliament

MPs debated this petition on 5 September 2016.

Read the transcript · Watch the debate

Timeline

25 May 2016 Petition opened for signatures
24 Jun 2016 Passed 10,000 signatures, requiring a government response
24 Jun 2016 Passed 100,000 signatures, qualifying for a parliamentary debate
8 Jul 2016 Government responded
5 Sep 2016 Debated in Parliament
25 Nov 2016 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 4,150,262
Status Closed
Opened 25 May 2016
Closed 25 Nov 2016
Response 8 Jul 2016
Debated 5 Sep 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.