2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum

On 23 June 2016, a referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country should remain a member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). It was organised and facilitated through the European Union Referendum Act 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The referendum resulted in 51.9% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving the EU. The referendum was legally non-binding due to the ancient principle of parliamentary sovereignty as the enabling legislation only specified that a referendum should be held; however, the Conservative government of the time which was led by the then Prime Minister David Cameron promised to implement the result.