David Cameron agrees to change wording in EU referendum

British prime minister David Cameron has agreed to change the question for a referendum on EU membership after the UK's election watchdog said the wording could be seen as biased.

Mr Cameron has promised that by the end of 2017 the public will have their first vote for 40 years on whether the UK should stay in the bloc. The government had proposed voters be asked: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?"

But the electoral commission yesterday urged the government to change the question. The phrasing was easy to understand, it said, but by including only the “remain” option, it could “encourage voters to consider one response more favourably than the other”. That could undermine the legitimacy of the result, particularly in the eyes of campaigners for a British exit, the watchdog found.

Instead, it recommended an alternative: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" Within minutes, Downing Street said the government would table an amendment to the EU referendum Bill to change the wording.

Perception of bias

The move means that there will not be a Yes and No campaign, in contrast to the Scottish referendum.

The recommendation was welcomed by Eurosceptic campaigners, many of whom believe the current phrasing is biased against their cause.

Jenny Watson, who chairs the commission, said the question had to be as "clear as possible".

“We have tested the proposed question with voters and received views from potential campaigners, academics and plain language experts,” she said. “Whilst voters understood the question in the Bill, some campaigners and members of the public feel the wording is not balanced and there was a perception of bias.”

The news came as the UK Independence Party said it would launch its own campaign against Britain staying in the EU, creating the third group to compete for the designation of official leader of the EU exit camp.

‘No’ campaign

Party leader

Nigel Farage

said: “I am mobilising Ukip. [Members] are raring to go and want to start putting leaflets through doors. They want the No campaign not just to be something that is run from BBC studios in Westminster but also a real ground campaign.”

However, the Ukip leader said he did not want to lead the campaign.

Two separate groups campaigning to leave the EU have already been set up. Only one will gain official designation from the commission, with the higher spending limits, official funding and television broadcasts that follow.

A group called The Know is supported by some business figures, while a No campaign has backing from anti-EU Westminster politicians.

Some campaigners seeking EU exit are uneasy about Mr Farage spearheading the campaign, seeing him as a divisive figure.

However, Mr Farage suggested his picture could appear on some campaign literature, highlighting the appeal that he has to parts of the electorate, despite his party winning only one parliamentary seat in May’s general election. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2015