By Matthew Barrett
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Earlier this week, I reported on the 13 groups of constituencies in the running to be the next location for the People's Pledge European referendum campaign.
The first referendum was held in the marginally Conservative Thurrock constituency (89.9% agreed with a referendum). Yesterday, the People's Pledge announced that the next referendum will be held in a trio of Lib Dem constituencies: Manchester Withington, Cheadle and Hazel Grove. The neighbouring seats, in the Greater Manchester area, are represented by John Leech MP, Mark Hunter MP and Andrew Stunnell MP respectively.
While the seats are all Lib Dem, the referendum campaign will be launched by Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton, and David Nuttall, the Conservative MP for Bury North (right) at the campaign’s local headquarters in Cheadle on Monday. Like Thurrock, the campaign will be a full by-election style affair, with a local shop front headquarters, door-to-door canvassing, posters and leaflet, street stalls, and public meetings and events. Polls will close at 5pm on Thursday 19 July, and the vote will be independently administered by full postal ballot.
Ian McKenzie, the Director of the People’s Pledge (who appeared on the Daily Politics show yesterday), said:
“The people of Thurrock set the pace last month by voting in huge numbers for a referendum. Voters in Manchester Withington, Cheadle and Hazel Grove now have the chance to quicken that pace towards a national referendum for the rest of us. All three main parties are trying to ignore this issue; they need to start listening to their voters.”