Analysis: how Brexit continues to shape our politics 10 years on
More In Common’s Luke Tryl said: “While the salience of Brexit as an issue in itself has faded, the divide exposed by the referendum isn’t going anywhere.”
In the decade since the European Union referendum, it has become even clearer that Brexit has been the defining political moment in 21st century British politics.
Prior to 23 June 2016, the UK had had five prime ministers in the previous 37 years.
In the 10 years since, including David Cameron’s final few days, we have had six occupants of No10 Downing Street, including three in a heady two months in 2022.
Beyond the political churn, Brexit has defined how we voted and how campaigns are run.
The vote not only led to us leaving the EU, but also cleaved the country in half by 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
People began to define their politics by Leave or Remain, and as the debate got more acrimonious people got more entrenched.
In their book, Tribal Politics. How Brexit Divided Britain, Sara Hobolt and James Tilley argue that “these identities quickly became central to how many voters understood politics, themselves, and others”.
They said: “The strength of these identities helps explain why Brexit has continued to shape British politics long after the formal process of leaving the EU had ended.
“The referendum transformed what had previously been a relatively distant policy issue into a deep social and political divide.”
The pair say that this has helped create the multi-party system we have seen in the most recent local elections.
“Brexit identities often proved stronger than traditional partisan attachments and cut across established political alignments,” they said.
For example, a Remainer in Sheffield might vote for the Greens instead of Labour, while a Leaver could vote for Reform instead of the Conservatives.
The Brexit identities have not only helped create the modern multi-party system, but they have also continued to influence voting behaviour.
Following the local elections, More In Common UK director Luke Tryl said: “Brexit exposed a divide in British politics.
“Metropolitan hubs backed Remain while ‘left behind’ areas voted Leave; which side of the debate people came down on was closely related to their educational attainment.
“While the salience of Brexit as an issue in itself has faded, the divide exposed by the referendum isn’t going anywhere.
“Even a decade on, Reform’s support was strongest in councils which voted to leave the European Union in 2016.”
You only need to look at the local elections in Yorkshire last month for clear examples.
In places like Wakefield and Barnsley, voters backed Leave roughly two to one.
In these towns, Reform swept to power, comfortably taking councils off Labour for the first time in years.
While in the cities of Sheffield and Leeds, voters were more likely to fall to the pro-Remain Greens.
Why is Brexit still dominating voting behaviours? According to Barnsley Council’s leader from 1996 to 2026 Sir Steve Houghton it’s because the root causes of the vote have still not been dealt with.
“This problem has been building for 30 years, with deindustrialised places that have lost their purpose and lost their identity,” he said after Labour’s loss in Barnsley last month.
“What you are seeing now is that discontent that was building is coming through.
“It was that discontent that got Brexit, without that there wouldn’t have been a Brexit.”
Can politicians solve that discontent, or will it continue to dominate politics for the foreseeable future.
With recent comments from Sir Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting about potentially putting rejoin on the Labour manifesto at the next election, it appears likely it will continue to be a major issue for years to come.
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Today, Rose Mason and Ralph Blackburn reflect a decade after the decision to leave the EU changed politics.
Across a series of exclusive articles released on Monday online on The Yorkshire Post, the public perception and mood of Brexit is highlighted.
“Leaving the European Union has completely reshaped the landscape for British agriculture,” the president of the National Farmers’ Union has said, reflecting on 10 years since the referendum.
“Yorkshire was particularly poorer because of the importance of farming, manufacturing and food production,” North Yorkshire business owner Jo Foster said.
Unfortunately, the bitter referendum campaign has polarised the country, we believe.
Follow the rest of our coverage of the special here.