Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to hold European Union elections in the event of an extension of Article 50 until 30 June 2018.

It remains the Government’s intention to leave the EU with a deal and not participate in European Parliamentary elections.

As a responsible Government we have taken the necessary steps required by law should we have to participate in the poll. We have laid a Day of Poll Order before Parliament that sets 23 May 2019 as the date of the poll for the European Parliamentary elections in the UK and Gibraltar. This provides Returning Officers with a date to hold potential European Parliamentary elections and meets the legal requirements at this stage.

The legislation does not make it inevitable that we will hold these elections, as leaving the EU before the date of the election would automatically remove our obligation to take part.