The British government has rejected an online petition signed by 4.1 million people calling for a new referendum on whether to leave the European Union (EU). The petition called for the government to enact a rule that there should be another referendum if the vote for ‘Remain’ or ‘Leave’ was less than 60 per cent based on a turnout of less than 75 percent.
The Foreign Office, the ministry that had steered through Parliament the EU Referendum Act setting out the rules, responded that the legislation did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout. “The Prime Minister and Government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the Prime Minister has said, the decision must be respected,” it said. “We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the Government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations.”
