Petition · past parliament
Repeal European Communities Act 1972 before invoking Art. 50 of Lisbon Treaty
Rejected
17 signatures
What the petition asks
The UK entered the EU under the 1972 Act, and therefore cannot lawfully leave it without repealing the Act. A vote in Parliament is therefore necessary before any notification to leave the EU is issued under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (the "Lisbon Treaty").
The 2016 EU referendum was an advisory and not a binding one. The The UK political system is based on representative democracy, with sovereignty residing in Parliament. To make the decision to leave the UK a fully democratic one, Parliament therefore needs to take a decision on whether to repeal the 1972 Act. In deciding the true national interest in this regard, MPs will be guided by the outcome of the referendum and other circumstances surrounding it. Ideally the vote would be a free one.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 28 Jun 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 5 Jul 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
17
Status
Rejected
Rejected
5 Jul 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.