Thread by @jonworth

So today @oletwinofficial joins @tom_watson & Tony Blair suggesting a #PeoplesVote should happen first, and only then a General Election

But what are the pros and cons of this?

Referendum first has the *appeal* that it keeps the Tory and Labour parties together, and that there can be some Brexit 'closure' as soon as possible

But referendum first has major *downsides* - that it would need a caretaker administration for 6 months to organise, would need a longer Article 50 extension to organise, and the problems of the 2016 referendum haven't been resolved

Election first has the *appeal* that it is quick (25 working days) to do, Johnson has a majority of -45 and scant little legitimacy, and Labour officially wants it too

But election first has major *downsides* - it might leave the major Brexit questions unresolved (meaning everything drags on further), and it can tear the Tories and Labour apart further still. And 4 big parties in the FPTP system will give a v distorted result

All of these points are developed in much more detail in a new blog post:
jonworth.eu/election-then-…
I *think* I marginally favour the referendum first option, but there are major questions to answer - whichever route is chosen!

/ends