Law According To A King

The last three years have been tense to say the least. The country is still divided on Brexit, with polls now showing a slight lean towards Remain. Since the 2016 referendum, the Liberal Democrats and Greens have campaigned furiously for a second referendum, whilst Labour and the Tories have largely rejected this. But what would a second referendum do? First of all, a second referendum is permitted by the law. Under the European Union Referendum Act 2015 the result of the Brexit vote was purely advisory. Neither Parliament nor the government is bound to deliver Brexit - it was merely an indication of public opinion. Most referendums are advisory, it is worth noting, with explicit language in legislation entitling the government to ignore the vote (though they never have). The judgment in R (Miller) v Brexit Secretary also stressed the advisory nature of the referendum, and underlined the importance of parliamentary sovereignty. One thing that is interesting is how both sides increa...