Cabinet papers reveals that second referendum would take more than a year to be organised – POLITICO

The U.K. government estimates that it could take more than a year to organise a second Brexit referendum, according a Cabinet Office paper seen and reported by POLITICO.

The existence of the document, shared with parliamentarians in meetings with ministers this week, suggests that the government has considered the practicalities of holding a second vote. Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said she would not countenance such a route out of the political deadlock over Brexit.

Officials predict that the time required for drafting of a new parliamentary bill; the passage of the legislation; the testing of the ballot paper question by elections’ regulator the Electoral Commission; the designation of the official campaigns and finally a 10-week campaign period could mean that a fresh vote, could not be held before early 2020.

The document was shown to party leaders including the Liberal Democrats’ Vince Cable and Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts in meetings this week, which followed May’s invitation to senior parliamentarians to meet her to discuss options for a way forward on Brexit that could command a majority in the House of Commons.

May has repeatedly expressed her opposition to a second referendum, suggesting that to offer a vote with Reman as an option would be a betrayal of the 2016 referendum result.

However, a so-called “People’s Vote” is supported by the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, dozens of Labour MPs and a handful of Conservative MPs. Labour’s leadership has not ruled out eventually backing a public vote.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “In order to inform the discussions, a very short paper set out in factual detail the number of months that would be required. This was illustrative only. Our position is that there will be no second referendum.

Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general and supporter of the campaign for another referendum known as the “People’s Vote”, rubbishes the timetable put out by the government.

“The timetable put forward by the government is simply wrong and they must be aware of it themselves. 

“If parliament wishes to have a referendum and the government is prepared to facilitate it, it could be carried out swiftly and within a limited time extension of Article 50. 

“It is extraordinary for the Government to make these claims when their Brexit deal – which has been comprehensively rejected by parliament – offers no certainty over our future relationship with Europe and would simply result in years of back-and-forth, arguments and negotiations.

“It is neither helpful nor right to have misleading information of this kind put out.”