This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition To Seek a 1 year Extension to the Brexit Transition Period & a Second Referendum
To seek a 1 year extension to the Brexit Transition Period so that negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship can be concluded and a referendum conducted. The UK public can assent or reject the terms. A rejection would mean that the Government would commit to seeking re-entry to the EU.
More details
During the 1 year extension, the UK Government should conclude negotiations and then conduct a second referendum when the UK public can assent or reject the agreed terms. Only by conducting a second referendum on any agreed UK-EU relationship can the UK public truly have its say. A rejection of the agreed future trading relationship would mean that the UK Government must commit to seeking a further extension(s) of the transition period, followed by negotiation on re-entry to the EU.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 25 November 2020
The deadline for an extension to be agreed, 1 July 2020, has passed. The transition period ends on 31 December 2020, as enshrined in UK law. The Government will not be extending the transition period.
The deadline by when an extension could have been agreed, 1 July 2020, has now passed. The transition period ends on 31 December 2020. This is a matter of UK law, and a clear commitment of the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. The Government will not be extending the transition period in any circumstance, as ministers confirmed in Parliament on 5 October.
We have been repeatedly clear that any agreement with the EU needs to be in place before the end of the transition period, and that if an agreement cannot be reached, we will leave on Australia-style terms.
We need to be able to design our own rules, in our best interests, to best manage our response to coronavirus, without the constraints of following EU rules.
An extension to the transition period would bind us into future EU legislation, without us having any say in designing these laws.
Cabinet Office
Related activity
Urgent Question asked in House of Commons about the progress of negotiations with the EU
On Monday 7 December there was an Urgent Question to the Cabinet Office on progress of negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU and preparations for the end of the transition period.
You can watch the response from Cabinet Office Minister Penny Mordaunt MP, and further questions on the topic here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/b9d83851-4ca0-43a3-bbdd-a4e94e38766e?in=15:36:50&out=16:49:00
A transcript of the exchange is available here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2020-12-07
What is an Urgent Question?
If an urgent or important matter arises which an MP believes requires an immediate answer from a government minister, they may apply to ask an urgent question.
Find out more about Urgent Questions here: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/urgent-questions/