The Electoral Commission has urged that the question to be put to voters on whether to remain in or leave the EU should be altered.
The watchdog said the current question – “should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?” – could be perceived as biased to the status quo and staying in the European Union.
It said the question should instead be:
“Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”
The change would mean that neither campaign could use the relative positivity of “Yes” to support their perspective, and instead the answers would be a choice between “Remain in the European Union” or “Leave the European Union”.
Jenny Watson, Chair of the Electoral Commission, said:
“Any referendum question must be as clear as possible so that voters understand the important choice they are being asked to make. We have tested the proposed question with voters and received views from potential campaigners, academics and plain language experts.
“Whilst voters understood the question in the Bill some campaigners and members of the public feel the wording is not balanced and there was a perception of bias. The alternative question we have recommended addresses this. It is now for Parliament to discuss our advice and decide which question wording should be used.”
The government has said it will accept the changes, but the final decision will be made by Parliament.
The vote on the UK’s future in the European Union is due to take place before the end of 2017, but could be held as soon as next year.
