The authoritative source for independent research on UK-EU relations

05 Mar 2019

Politics and Society

Contingency planning: the 1975 and 2016 referendums

This report asks two questions about government preparations for these two referendums:

  • Why did officials and ministers plan for a ‘no’ vote in 1975 and what were their main considerations?
  • Why did the same rationales for preparing for withdrawal negotiations in 1975 not apply in 2016?
  • Should a government that holds a referendum develop a strategy for implementing an outcome it does not support?
BACK TO ALL REPORTS

MORE FROM THIS THEME

Thinking about post-Brexit public policy: Voters’ perspective on immigration and regulation

Was the 2019 general election a success?

Has Brexit gone off the boil? Or are the embers of Brexit still glowing?

Will getting Brexit done restore political trust?

Where next for the Liberal Democrats?

Recent Articles