Petition · past parliament
Investigate the impact of misinformation on the EU referendum outcome
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
Establish an independent inquiry to investigate the extent of misinformation during the EU referendum campaign and its impact on the outcome.
The crucial decision to remain in or to leave the EU placed a heavy responsibility on voters, who should have been provided with accurate information.
The crucial decision to remain in or to leave the EU placed a heavy responsibility on voters, who should have been provided with accurate information.
On 27 May 2016, the Treasury Select Committee concluded that voters were being provided with “misleading” figures and “implausible assumptions” (BBC). Nonetheless, misinformation continued throughout the campaign, including the repetition of claims that the Committee had criticised. After the referendum many voters have said they would have voted differently had they been presented with the facts and now feel they were deceived. Given the narrow result, the outcome may have been different.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 25 Jun 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 12 Jul 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
11
Status
Rejected
Rejected
12 Jul 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.