The EU Referendum: Q&A to the most important decision UK has faced in decades

It is probably the most important decision the British public has faced in decades, but how is the EU referendum actually going to work?

There are a multitude of arguments on either side about whether Britain should stay or go, but here we look at the process of the referendum, why it is happening and who gets to have their say.

Let’s start with the basics: what is the referendum question and when is the referendum?

“Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” will be the question on Thursday 23 June 2016.

Voters can choose between two responses:

*Remain a member of the European Union.

*Leave the European Union.

The somewhat wordy question is designed to avoid any confusion if, for example, voters do not know whether the UK is already a member of the EU. It also avoids the positive connotations of a “yes” answer. The Electoral Commission was criticised by some experts for allowing a yes/no question in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.