People’s Pledge

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The People's Pledge was a campaign launched in 2011 to pressurise MPs into indicating that they would support a referendum on British membership of the EU. Run by left-wing journalist and activist Mark Seddon, and supported by the Democracy Movement, it built up a head of steam as parliamentarians of all parties signed up to pledge their support. Significantly, they were able to persuade pro-EU figures like Keith Vaz and Caroline Lucas to back the idea of a referendum on the basis of it having been nearly four decades since the previous public vote. The campaign coincided with parliamentary efforts spearheaded by Tory backbenchers David Nuttall and John Baron, among others, to force the issue of a referendum and it was considered a particular coup when then London Mayor Boris Johnson declared his support. It held a one-day Congress for an EU Referendum in London in late 2011 (not dissimilar to the ERG's Congress for Democracy) and also arranged private mini-referendums in the marginal constituencies of Thurrock, Cheadle and Hazel Grove in 2012 to demonstrate public support for a real referendum on EU membership and to pressurise local MPs and candidates on the issue. There would have been more, but for the fact that its goal was achieved in early 2013 when David Cameron committed to holding an EU referendum.