We’ll only get a People’s Vote if we commit to respecting it

A People’s Vote, not a General Election (GE) is the only way to definitively break the Brexit impasse. The key issue now stopping us winning this argument is TRUST that it would be implemented. So instead the country seems willing to vote in people to run the UK for five years based on a single issue in the belief that this will 'get it done' and allow the country to 'move on'.

But a General Election which delivers a parliament divided purely down Leave / Remain lines - unwilling to compromise and full of MPs willing to do anything to stop the other side proceeding is a grotesque vision for a parliament which I believe could be the most important in my lifetime.

From tackling the climate emergency, to regaining trust in politics, from reuniting the country to getting on with securing our place in the green, digital industrial revolution. We need MPs fighting to secure the education, jobs and prosperity which can rebuild our great nation.

If the next parliament gets these things wrong there are profound consequences for generations to come. These are the issues that the majority of people in the UK want a say on. Not just Brexit.

So it's time for those arguing for a People’s Vote to be absolutely unequivocal about respecting and implementing the outcome.

The idea that liberals would call for a People’s Vote with absolutely any doubt in our minds that we would accept the result is both a grave failure to learn from the arrogance of the Cameron administration and also risks undermining the very democracy which so many have been fighting for since Boris took power.

After three years of intense debate inside Westminster its clear this issue can not be resolved by Parliament. After three years of nothing else on TV, radio, social media, it is impossible to believe that the electorate could realistically become any better informed on the issue than we are today.

This impasse in Westminster means we need to put the Brexit question back to the people. Boris’ Deal (he's busy getting one right?) vs No Deal vs Remain - with preferential voting to ensure its a fair fight between Leave and Remain and so that if we Leave, everyone has been able to have their say on whether that is with a deal or not. 

One benefit of including a clear deal on the ballot paper (another vital lesson from the disastrous aftermath of the first referendum) is that it would force Boris to go and secure that deal. It might be imperfect but the appetite of the public and the EU for further negotiation is rapidly disappearing. Even a general election manifesto pledge for a People’s Vote, whilst intellectually appealing is like a vote for further delay and confusion. Not a good strategy when the whole population just wants to #MakeItStop!

Including No Deal on the ballot paper would ‘untie’ Boris’ hands to negotiate, or more likely, call his bluff on his seemingly non-existent negotiations. Remain on the ballot paper would also give us Remainers the opportunity to put forward a Remain Plan - to reconfirm or better still, bolster, in discussions with Europe, the Remain Deal - acknowledging the real concerns of Euroskeptics and offering real solutions and new reasons to stay in. 

For the country, a legally binding people’s vote would be preferable to a GE because the day after the vote we would have a clear path through the impasse. Government and parliament would have a clear mandate to get on and implement it. It would also have the major advantage that people would then be free in a GE to vote on who best to run the country based on the broad range of opportunities and challenges our country faces over the coming five years.

No one should let party advantage be put before country at this time of national crisis. Be that the lure of more MPs for Lib Dems, the lure of us crashing out and being able to secure and win a second independence referendum for SNP or the lure of winning a leave majority by making a Faustian pact with the Brexit Party for the Tories. The electorate want the games to STOP. Trust in democracy requires the games to stop now. 

We will only win the right to a people’s vote if people on BOTH sides of the argument trust that this is a legally binding, respected by all those that might be called to implement it.

If Boris is dusting off the ballot boxes and people want another say on Brexit - lets give it to them and lets do it right this time so that the following day we can start to rebuild our great country. Then let's fight a GE based on who is best places to lead the UK on a path back to being a truly United Kingdom no matter the result.