Brexit’s Referendum: an unfinished story

Abstract

Abstract

This article addresses the British EU membership or exit referendum of 23 June 2016 from a constitutional point of view. It reviews the antecedents and proposals of referendum related with EU issues, the process since the 2013 January announcement by Prime Minister Cameron until the referendum date and its legal regime established in the EU Referendum Act passed in December 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000. Moreover, the article deals with the effects of the result on the British political system and parties, the British representative democracy and the roll of the referendum in it, the UK unity, particularly the possibility of a second referendum on the independence in Scotland, and finally the future of the EU integration project itself and the effect over other EU member States, as well. This referendum deals with a relevant constitutional topic according with the report of the House of Lords on referendum in UK of 2010 but was convened by the Prime Minister Cameron to pass the resolution of the internal divisions of the Conservative party to the electorate after the overall majority of the Conservatives at the 2015 elections to the House of Commons.