Brexit’s 10-Year Anti-Elite Revolt Still Shapes British Politics
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 18
Brexit’s 10-Year Anti-Elite Revolt Still Shapes British Politics
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 18
Summary
Ten years after the 2016 referendum, the article argues Brexit’s most durable legacy is not trade damage or Tory infighting but an anti-establishment revolt that still drives British politics.
52% of voters backed Leave despite warnings from government, opposition, the Bank of England and business groups, turning the referendum into a mass rejection of political and economic elites.
That anger now shows up in places such as Makerfield, where 2016 Leave sentiment still runs strong and newer right-wing parties including Reform UK and Restore Britain are expected to draw significant votes.
29% of respondents in a forthcoming Hope Not Hate survey said violence can be necessary to defend strongly held beliefs, underscoring how anti-immigrant and anti-system rage has moved closer to the mainstream.
The piece says Westminster still answers the ‘conference room’ case for Brexit while failing to fix the economic and social grievances that Nigel Farage and others have converted into lasting ethnic resentment.