Brexit: People’s Vote

Baroness Walmsley Excerpts
Wednesday 12th December 2018

(5 years, 4 months ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Lord Callanan Portrait Lord Callanan
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

My noble friend is absolutely correct. There are many arguments against a second referendum, but I think the most powerful one is that it would not necessarily solve anything.

Baroness Walmsley Portrait Baroness Walmsley (LD)
- Hansard - -

My Lords, the Minister said that a majority of the electorate had voted to leave the European Union. If I recall correctly, 37% voted to leave, 33% voted to remain and 30% did not vote at all. Ministers go around saying that 52% of the British people voted to leave the European Union—I heard Jeremy Hunt say that on TV the other day. Last time I looked, the population of the UK was about 65 million, and we keep getting told that 17.4 million people voted to leave the European Union. That is about one in four. Does the Minister not agree that Ministers should be a little more precise in their language?

Lord Callanan Portrait Lord Callanan
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I am happy to agree with the noble Baroness that in the referendum, of the people who voted, the majority voted to leave.