Question
May I also give my thanks to the Clerk of the House and convey to him, on behalf of those on my side of the House, our very, very best wishes for the future? There has been a bit of confusion this week, and I hope that the Prime Minister can clear it up. Does he or does he not want a referendum on rejoining the European Union?
Answer
There is no confusion at all. The Government have a collectively agreed position, which I have set out today. It is entirely consistent with everything I have said, including what I said at the time of the by-election. The red lines in our manifesto, including those on freedom of movement, will stay firmly in place for the whole of this Parliament, but what I will not do is defend the deal negotiated by the right hon. Lady and the Government she was in, which, in my view, gave us a harder Brexit than was promised at the referendum, and has been bad for growth and bad for control of immigration.38% point-scoring
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The question asked whether the Prime Minister wants a referendum on rejoining the EU. The reply states that there is no confusion, that the Government has a collectively agreed position, and that this is consistent with earlier statements, but it never says whether a referendum is wanted. Its remarks on red lines, the deal, and freedom of movement address other topics. A member of the public would not get a direct answer and would likely need to ask again.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Prime Minister wants a referendum on rejoining the European Union. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply asserts there is no confusion, that the Government has a collectively agreed position, and that this is consistent with prior statements, but none of these statements says whether the Prime Minister wants a referendum on rejoining. The remaining statements (red lines, the deal, freedom of movement) concern other topics, so the yes-or-no question is left unanswered. |