Petition in UK urges new EU referendum

Petition demands clause cancelling result of Brexit vote should it fail to pick up less than 60 percent of total votes.

EU Referendum vote reactions

More than a million people have signed a petition calling on the British government to implement clauses that would cancel the result of the referendum on its EU membership.

The online parliamentary petition was picking up thousands of new signatures on Saturday, just two days after 51.9 percent of voters decided to end the UK’s membership of the 28-nation bloc.

The petition, which was started on May 25 but went viral on social media after the result, calls on the government to force a new referendum should the vote to leave or remain fail to pick up less than 60 percent of the total and a 75 percent turnout.

The turnout on Thursday was 72 percent of the total electorate.

Parliamentary petitions must receive a government response if they collect more than 10,000 signatures and members of parliament consider the issue for debate if one gets more than 100,000.

The results of the referendum were split along age, ethnic, and geographic lines, with youngers voters more likely to want to stick with the EU.

Ethnic minorities also voted to remain in the union, while Scotland and Northern Ireland returned majorities in favour on staying in the bloc.

Scotland and Northern Ireland react to Brexit vote

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister and leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, has said a new referendum on the country’s independence will be “very much on the table” following the vote.

She said EU officials would be invited to Edinburgh to discuss ways Scotland could continue to be a part of the organisation.

EU officials have called on British leaders to start the “Brexit” process as soon as possible. The UK has two years to conclude negotiations once the process is initiated.

Inside Story – What’s the future of the UK in the wake of Brexit?

Source: Al Jazeera