Political consequences of Brexit

Has Brexit damaged our politics?

The Brexit stalemate that gripped Britain in 2019 appeared to be a perfect recipe for stimulating disenchantment among voters. In this chapter, we examine the impact of that stalemate on people’s attitudes towards how Britain is governed. We look at whether trust and confidence in how Britain is governed has fallen in the wake of the Brexit debate, and what, if anything, has happened to people’s sense of political engagement. At the same time, we consider whether any impact is more in evidence among Leavers or more apparent among Remainers.

Spotlight

Shortly after the EU referendum the public had appeared somewhat more trusting of government than they had for some time. However, by the time the Brexit stalemate was coming to a conclusion the level of trust in government had fallen away quite noticeably.

Level of trust in British governments, 1986–2019

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