Official body should be set up to stop politicians telling lies during future referendums, says damning report

AN official body should be set up to stop politicians telling lies during future referendums, a damning report says today.

Remain and Brexit campaigners were both blasted as the Electoral Reform Society dubbed the EU debate “dire”.

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Experts highlighted “glaring democratic deficiencies” in the run up to the June 23 vote, saying they left voters “ill-informed” and “disengaged”.

The ERS said its findings proved there was a need for a “root and branch” review ahead of future referendums.

The body’s chief executive Katie Ghose said major figures like David Cameron ended up actually turning voters off.

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She said: “This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was.

“There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public feeling totally ill-informed.

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“Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters, while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark.”

Ms Ghose said the campaign was too short and negative for a proper, engaging debate, and misleading claims were peddled “with total impunity”.

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She added: “It’s time for a root and branch review of referendums, learning the lessons of the EU campaign to make sure the mistakes that were made in terms of regulation, tone and conduct are never repeated.”

The report confirmed many criticisms made during the referendum campaign - it was too negative and voters were left feeling they did not know the facts from both sides.

Polling by the ERS showed the intervention of high-profile political figures “largely failed to engage or convince” voters to their side.

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Just under a third of voters said Mr Cameron made them more likely to vote Leave, and a meagre 14% said he made them want to vote Remain.

Pollsters said the only high-profile figures who persuaded voters were Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump.

The report – titled It’s Good To Talk - found that in comparison, the Scottish referendum debate was “vibrant and well-informed”.