John Baron MP scotches second EU referendum

MP: Second referendum is condescending, illogical and dangerous

Responding to speculation as to a second referendum, including from senior ministers, John said,

“The idea of holding a second referendum is condescending, illogical and dangerous. It is condescending to allege that people ‘did not know’ what they were voting for in 2016. This is not the case – almost every official outlet warned of the increasingly dire consequences of voting ‘leave’, including mass unemployment, economic recession and even World War Three. Yet we all still voted leave, quite correctly believing these ‘warnings’ to be false.”

“If you believe that voters voted ‘the wrong way’ in 2016, a second referendum is also illogical because it is highly likely people will vote ‘leave’ again. If you hold that people were unable to understand ‘complex arguments’ in 2016, why should you believe this will be any different in 2019?’

“Finally, a second referendum is also dangerous for our democratic system. Over 17 million people voted for leave, the largest single mandate for any policy in our history. If voters believe their choice is being discarded by a sneering political élite less than three years after they voted to leave the EU, there is a good chance they will stop voting altogether. In a Parliamentary democracy, this would be disastrous.”