European Union Bill and Britain’s Constitutional Future

That the Parliament notes the UK Government’s proposed European Union Bill, which would create a legal requirement for the UK to hold a referendum each time the European Union proposes a new treaty or an amendment to existing treaty provisions of a constitutional nature or makes provisions through ratchet clauses or passerelles; notes that, over the past 50 years, the EU has amended its treaties on a continuous basis; further notes that, if the UK Government decided to opt in to any policy field in the future, such as participating in a Europe-wide prosecuting authority, the proposed Bill would require it to hold a referendum; considers that the Bill has the potential to spark various referenda on issues of minor EU procedural or constitutional importance; observes that the UK Government’s justification for the Bill is to allow the British people a say over their constitutional future; considers the Bill to be an exceptional example of Tory Eurosceptic paranoia and yet another act of Liberal Democrat betrayal, and believes that any political party genuinely concerned with giving citizens a say over their constitutional future should support a referendum on Scottish independence.