Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Wednesday 10th April 2019

The Government stands by its commitment to uphold the result of the 2016 referendum. We continue to seek a consensus across the House, which will allow the UK to leave the EU with a deal in place.

In 2016, this Government stated that it would honour the result of the referendum, whatever the outcome.

During the 2016 referendum campaign, this Government wrote to every UK household to promise that it would implement the result of the referendum. With that commitment in mind, 17.4 million people voted to leave the European Union, providing the biggest democratic mandate for any course of action ever directed at a UK Government.

The British people have made their view clear. It is now our responsibility to uphold the result of the referendum.

Parliament has continuously rejected leaving without a deal. The Government continues to seek a consensus across the House to find a way through which allows the UK to leave in an orderly manner, with a deal in place.

The Government has been preparing for the contingency of a ‘no deal’ since 2016 and has accelerated no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. Parliament has now bound the Government to seek an extension to Article 50, so the Government has proposed that the extension should be as short as possible, ending when we have passed and ratified a deal.

This Government maintains that leaving with a deal remains the best solution. The Prime Minister has therefore committed to working with members across the House to ensure that the result of the referendum is upheld, and the UK leaves the EU in an orderly manner, without undue delay.


Department for Exiting the European Union