An Act to provide for the holding of a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Economic Community.
Citation
1975 c. 33
Introduced by
Edward Short, Lord President of the Council (Commons) Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones, Lord Chancellor (Lords)
Territorial extent
England and Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent
8 May 1975
Commencement
8 May 1975
Repealed
2 May 1986
Other legislation
Repealed by
Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1986 (c. 12)
Relates to
European Communities Act 1972
European Union Referendum Act 2015
Status: Repealed
Part of a series of articles on
UK membership of the European Union (1973–2020)
Accession
Treaty of Accession 1972
1972 EC Act
1973 enlargement of the EC
1975 referendum
Referendum Act (results)
Treaty amendments
Single European Act, 1986
(UK ratification)
Maastricht Treaty, 1992
(UK ratification)
Treaty of Amsterdam, 1997
(UK ratification)
Treaty of Nice, 2001
(UK ratification)
Treaty of Lisbon, 2007
(UK ratification)
Related:
2011 UK Act on new EU Treaty amendments
EU-related British Acts
Proposed European Constitution referendum
European Union Bill 2004–2005
MEPs for UK constituencies
Members 1973–1979
(elected by parliament)
Members 1979–1984
(1979 election)
Members 1984–1989
(1984 election)
Members 1989–1994
(1989 election)
Members 1994–1999
(1994 election)
Members 1999–2004
(1999 election)
Members 2004–2009
(2004 election)
Members 2009–2014
(2009 election)
Members 2014–2019
(2014 election)
Members 2019–2020
(2019 election)
Women
Officials and bodies
House of Lords EU Committee
House of Commons EU Committee
Permanent EU Representatives for UK
Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels
EU Representative in London
UK European Commissioners
Department for Exiting the European Union
Issues and events
Economy
The Euro
Black Wednesday
UK budget rebate
Nationality law
Euroscepticism in the UK
United Kingdom opt-outs from EU legislation
Maastricht Rebels
Balance of Competences Review
Withdrawal
2015 UK general election
2015–2016 membership renegotiation
2016 EU membership referendum
Vote Leave
Britain Stronger in Europe
Notification of withdrawal
2017 UK general election
Brexit negotiations
Impact of Brexit
Future relationship
Withdrawal agreement
No-deal Brexit
Impact on Irish border
Northern Ireland Protocol
Parliamentary votes
Proposed second referendum
2019 UK general election
EU portal
UK portal
v
t
e
Constitutional documents and events relevant to the status of the United Kingdom and its countries
List per year
Treaty of Union
1706
Acts of Union
1707
Succession to the Crown Act 1707
1707
Septennial Act
1716
Wales and Berwick Act
1746
Constitution of Ireland (1782)
1782
Acts of Union 1800
1800
HC (Disqualifications) Act 1801
1801
Reform Act 1832
1832
Scottish Reform Act 1832
1832
Irish Reform Act 1832
1832
Judicial Committee Act 1833
1833
Judicial Committee Act 1843
1843
Judicial Committee Act 1844
1844
Representation of the People Act 1867
1867
Reform Act (Scotland) 1868
1868
Reform Act (Ireland) 1868
1868
Irish Church Act
1869
Royal Titles Act 1876
1876
Appellate Jurisdiction Act
1876
Reform Act 1884
1884
Interpretation Act 1889
1889
Parliament Act
1911
Aliens Restriction Act
1914
Status of Aliens Act 1914
1914
Government of Ireland Act 1914
1914
Welsh Church Act
1914
Royal Proclamation of 1917
1917
Representation of the People Act 1918
1918
Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act
1919
Government of Ireland Act
1920
Anglo-Irish Treaty
1921
Church of Scotland Act 1921
1921
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act
1922
Irish Free State Constitution Act
1922
Ireland (Confirm. of Agreement) Act 1925
1925
Balfour Declaration of 1926
1926
Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act
1927
Representation of the People Act 1928
1928
Eire (Confirmation of Agreement) Act 1929
1929
Statute of Westminster
1931
HM Declaration of Abdication Act 1936
1936
Regency Act 1937
1937
Regency Act 1943
1943
British Nationality Act 1948
1948
Representation of the People Act 1948
1948
Ireland Act 1949
1949
Statute of the Council of Europe
1949
Parliament Act 1949
1949
Regency Act 1953
1953
Royal Titles Act 1953
1953
European Convention on Human Rights
1953
Interpretation Act (NI)
1954
HC Disqualification Act 1957
1957
Life Peerages Act
1958
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962
1962
Peerage Act
1963
Royal Assent Act
1967
Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968
1968
Immigration Act
1971
EC Treaty of Accession
1972
NI (Temporary Provisions) Act
1972
European Communities Act
1972
Local Government Act
1972
UK joins the European Communities
1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act
1973
NI border poll
1973
NI Constitution Act
1973
House of Commons Disqualification Act
1975
Referendum Act
1975
EC membership referendum
1975
Interpretation Act
1978
Scotland Act 1978
1978
Wales Act 1978
1978
Scottish devolution referendum
1979
Welsh devolution referendum
1979
British Nationality Act
1981
Representation of the People Act 1983
1983
Representation of the People Act 1985
1985
Single European Act
1985
Maastricht Treaty
1993
Local Government (Wales) Act
1994
Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act
1994
Referendums (Scotland & Wales) Act
1997
Scottish devolution referendum
1997
Welsh devolution referendum
1997
Good Friday Agreement
1998
Northern Ireland Act
1998
Government of Wales Act
1998
Human Rights Act
1998
Scotland Act
1998
House of Lords Act
1999
Representation of the People Act 2000
2000
Parties, Elections and Referendums Act
2000
Constitutional Reform Act
2005
Government of Wales Act 2006
2006
Northern Ireland Act 2009
2009
Lisbon Treaty
2009
Constitutional Reform and Governance Act
2010
Parl. Voting System and Constituencies Act
2011
Welsh devolution referendum
2011
Alternative Vote referendum
2011
European Union Act 2011
2011
Fixed-term Parliaments Act
2011
Scotland Act 2012
2012
Succession to the Crown Act 2013
2013
Scottish independence referendum
2014
House of Lords Reform Act
2014
Wales Act 2014
2014
HL (Expulsion and Suspension) Act
2015
Recall of MPs Act
2015
European Union Referendum Act
2015
EU membership referendum
2016
Scotland Act 2016
2016
Wales Act 2017
2017
EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act
2017
Invocation of Article 50
2017
European Union (Withdrawal) Act
2018
EU Withdrawal Act 2019
2019
EU Withdrawal (No. 2) Act
2019
Early Parliamentary General Election Act
2019
EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act
2020
UK leaves the European Union
2020
UK Internal Market Act
2020
EU (Future Relationship) Act
2020
Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act
2022
Elections Act
2022
v
t
e
The Referendum Act 1975 (c. 33) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which made legal provision for the holding of a consultative referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Communities (EC)—generally known at the time in the UK, with reference to their main component, the European Economic Community (EEC) as stipulated in the Act, also known at the time as the "Common Market".[1] The Referendum Bill was introduced to the House of Commons by the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council Edward Short on 26 March 1975; on its second reading on 10 April 1975, MPs voted 312–248 in favour of holding the referendum—which came the day after they voted to stay in the European Communities on the new terms set out in the renegotiation.
The Act gave effect to a manifesto commitment of the Labour Party at the general election of October 1974, and set out the arrangements and procedure for the United Kingdom's first ever national referendum, in which voting was to take place simultaneously in all parts of the country. The Act was given Royal Assent on 8 May 1975 and came into effect immediately on the same date.
In accordance with the Act, the European Communities membership referendum took place on Thursday 5 June 1975, and voters approved continued EC/EEC membership by 67% to 33% on a national turnout of 64%.[2]
The Act became effectively spent following the declaration of the national referendum result; however, it was not officially repealed until eleven years later, by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1986.
^Current Law Statutes Annotated 1975, vol. 1 (Sweet and Maxwell, 1975), pp. 1,051-1,058
^Colin Turpin, Adam Tomkins, British Government and the Constitution: Text and Materials (2007), p. 535
and 27 Related for: Referendum Act 1975 information
The ReferendumAct1975 (c. 33) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which made legal provision for the holding of a consultative referendum...
Market referendum and EEC membership referendum, took place under the provisions of the ReferendumAct1975 on 5 June 1975 in the United Kingdom to gauge support...
European Union ReferendumAct 2015 (c. 36) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made legal provision for a consultative referendum to be held...
of Ireland, which regulated future referendums within the Reupulic of Ireland ReferendumAct, 1975, a public Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
Calling of Parliament Act 2022 (c. 11) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repealed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 and reinstated...
British people) in 1973. This referendum was conducted very differently from the European Communities membership referendum in 1975; a more localised and regionalised...
of debate domestically. A referendum on continued membership of the Communities to try and settle the issue was held in 1975, with 67.2% of the votes cast...
universal suffrage. The Scottish Independence ReferendumAct 2013 set out the arrangements for the referendum and was passed by the Scottish Parliament in...
was rejected by the Scottish people in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Cornwall is administered as a county of England, but the Cornish people...
established on 19 September 2014 in the wake of the Scottish independence referendum. The act gives extra powers to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government...
A referendum on abolishing the monarchy was held in the Kingdom of Sikkim on 14 April 1975. Official results stated the proposal was approved by 97.55%...
Titles Act 1896. The short title of the act of the Irish Parliament is Act of Union (Ireland) 1800 (40 Geo. 3. c. 38 (I)), assigned by a 1951 act of the...
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government...
in two referendums held on 22 May 1998. In Northern Ireland, voters were asked in the 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum whether...
Parliament of Scotland. The Act was introduced by the Labour government in 1998 to give effect to the Scottish devolution referendum in 1997 which showed that...
Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland...
independent referendum was not a breach of art 3. Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 ss 1-5 (1703) 2 Ld Raym 938 Morgan v Simpson [1975] QB 151...
majority of seats at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. This led to a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, where voters were asked: "Should Scotland...
Human Rights Act 1998. The passing of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The passing of the Political Parties, Elections and ReferendumsAct 2000, creating...
European Communities membership referendumReferendumAct1975 European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 European Union Act 2011 2015–2016 United Kingdom renegotiation...
the law". Law Society of Scotland. Retrieved 14 January 2023. Scottish Referendums BBC News, accessed 23 October 2008 Devine, T. M. (1999). The Scottish...
The Elections Act 2022 (c. 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced to the House of Commons in July 2021, and receiving Royal...
concerning trade that were passed following the European Union membership referendum, as after Brexit the UK is no longer directly subject to EU law. The UK...
future date. A Scottish Parliament was convened by the Scotland Act 1998, following a referendum in 1997, in which the Scottish electorate voted for devolution...
The British Nationality Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 56) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on British nationality law which defined British...
Global Information
