Tuesday, 23 June 2026, marks the 10th anniversary of the UK decision to leave the European Union. Ten years on has anything been learned?
What makes Brexit different to other votes is the shock it caused for so many. As the subsequent negotiations demonstrated, the government was unprepared – but so were many who looked on in disbelief.
This was not like a general election but rather a raw wound that caused division not only within the country but also within families. Very quickly the question of who to blame became a central topic.
Social media was full of insults and words like ‘betrayal’, ‘idiocy’ and ‘bigoted’ overtook policy questions as both politicians and the media respectively huddled towards a predictable path of blame.
But the majority of the voters (51.89 percent to 48.11 percent) weren’t sold on the idea that the UK relationship with the EU was necessary.
