Could a referendum pledge help Labour win in 2015?

As we approach the European Parliamentary elections which are less than three weeks away, the media focus is on UKIP and their rising popularity with considerable swathes of the electorate. All three of the main political parties will be affected by this UKIP surge and all three parties have responded to this real threat in different ways. UKIP are focussing on the issue of immigration in these elections, but their core purpose is to exit the European Union.

The Tories have tried to out-UKIP them, by promising an in/out referendum based on some sort of renegotiation, the details of which are yet to be unveiled. This week, Cameron strengthened his commitment to holding a referendum if his party wins power and forms a government in 2015. The Liberal Democrats have expectedly come out strongly in favour of Britain’s membership of the European Union and support a referendum only if there is another significant transfer of powers to the EU institutions from member states.

When the existing Labour position on an EU Referendum was announced it is fair to say that there was some confusion amongst the press and the public as to what we were saying. Some of the papers announced Labour had ruled out a referendum while others declared Labour was now supporting a referendum.  This position is very similar to that of the Liberal Democrats (which could be crucial in any potential coalition negotiations) in that a referendum will be held if there is a significant transfer of powers to Brussels under a new treaty.

The British people have not been consulted since 1975 on Britain’s membership of the European Community/European Union. Opponents of a referendum rightly point out that the issue of ‘Europe’ rarely features highly on the public radar as a specific political concern. However, the economy, immigration and employment do concern people, all of these are matters which are directly affected as a result of Britain’s relationship within the European Union. Whenever people are asked, “Do you want a referendum on Europe,” the overwhelming majority respond with a resounding “Yes!”.

The Labour Campaign for a Referendum strongly believes that the Labour Party should commit to holding an In/Out Referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. We believe such a pledge would increase Labour’s chances of winning in 2015. Our campaign has no corporate view as to whether Britain should stay or leave but we strongly believe the debate needs to take place in the country. The next General election will be one of the most hotly contested elections in British history and Labour must make sure no flank is exposed. We know the Tory Press are going to hurl everything they have at Ed and the Labour Party, is it sensible therefore not to commit to a referendum and to leave such an emotive flank exposed?

The European Elections are the last big mid-term election before the general election. Labour needs to win these elections handsomely, including in the South. At the moment, UKIP, a party with no Members of Parliament are on course to possibly win those elections. The polls are narrowing and in some cases the Tories are in the lead. While we should not panic, we need to realise this is not a healthy place for the Labour Party to be just under one year from the General Election.

We firmly believe that a pledge to hold an In/Out Referendum is sensible and would really aide Labour’s path to power in 2015.

Brendan Chilton is the Campaign Director of Labour for a Referendum