Brexit has contributed to repeated leadership changes and ongoing political instability in the UK.
Party divisions and voter fragmentation have increased across both Labour and Conservatives.
Immigration and economic pressures remain central issues linked to Brexit’s long-term impact.
A decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the political system that carried it through membership of the bloc continues to strain under the fallout of that decision. According to reporting by the Associated Press (AP), the referendum that promised to settle Britain’s Europe question has instead contributed to repeated leadership changes, fractured parties and sustained political volatility.
On 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU after more than 40 years of membership, a result that led to the resignation of then-prime minister David Cameron. Since then, Britain has had a succession of prime ministers, with governments across both major parties struggling to manage the economic and political consequences of withdrawal. The current political landscape remains shaped by divisions that emerged during and after Brexit negotiations.
When Brexit happened
The referendum took place on 23 June 2016, when voters were asked whether the UK should remain in or leave the EU. The result triggered immediate political upheaval, including Cameron’s resignation the following day, AP reported. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, followed by a transition period lasting 11 months before full separation from EU rules, according to AP.
Why it happened
The campaign to leave the EU focused heavily on arguments about sovereignty, immigration and control over laws and borders.
Leading Brexit campaigner and later prime minister Boris Johnson framed the choice in emotive terms. “We can see the sunlit meadows beyond. I believe we would be mad not to take this once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk through that door,” he said a few weeks before the vote.
Historians and analysts cited by AP described a mix of motivations behind the vote, including economic discontent, concerns about immigration and nostalgia for Britain’s past.
Margaret MacMillan, emeritus professor of history at the University of Toronto, said it included nostalgia “for an imagined past.” “It was against what people saw as unrestricted immigration. It was against what they saw as EU regulations. And then there was this mix of nostalgia — ‘We fought alone in the Second World War.’ Which was of course not true.
“It was never clearly explained what Brexit might entail.”
Negotiations and political fallout
After the vote, Britain entered years of negotiations with the EU over the terms of withdrawal. AP reported that the process exposed deep divisions in Parliament and within parties.
Theresa May, who succeeded Cameron, resigned in 2019 after failing to pass a withdrawal agreement through a divided Parliament.
She was followed by Boris Johnson, who campaigned on the promise to “get Brexit done” and secured a trade agreement with the EU after extended talks.
Johnson was later removed from office in 2022 amid political controversy, and replaced briefly by Liz Truss, whose tenure lasted 49 days. She was succeeded by Rishi Sunak, who stabilised relations with the EU without major policy reversals.
More recently, Labour leader and prime minister Keir Starmer has described efforts to “reset” relations with the bloc while ruling out rejoining the single market, AP reported.
Political fragmentation
Brexit has continued to shape party politics, with both major parties facing internal divisions.
Historian Anthony Seldon said the referendum failed to resolve tensions within the Conservative Party. “The people who obsessed about it still obsess about it. Britain’s problems have continued,” he told Times Radio, as cited by AP.
Within Labour, divisions have also persisted between those seeking closer alignment with the EU and leadership figures who want to avoid reopening the issue.
AP reported that voter dissatisfaction has also contributed to the rise of smaller parties, including the Green Party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which has drawn support from voters disillusioned with both main parties.
Economy, immigration and public sentiment
The economic effects of Brexit have been mixed with other pressures, including the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shocks, AP reported. Trade with the EU has faced new barriers, contributing to business uncertainty, though analysts caution Brexit is not the sole factor behind slower growth.
Immigration has remained a central political issue. Net migration rose in the years after Brexit, reaching more than 900,000 in 2023 before falling to 171,000 last year, according to AP.
Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government, said political expectations have often outstripped what governments can deliver. “And so people are disappointed,” she said.
There is growing public distrust in political institutions and increased polarisation over immigration.
Chris Grey, an academic cited by AP, said: “In the past, Britain had a firm barrier ‘between the conventional dominant politics of talk and argument, and what was seen as beyond the pale: violence on the streets.’ “I think that boundary is being eroded. And I think that did to some large extent begin with Brexit.”
Where things stand now
Polling suggests continued division over Brexit’s outcome. An Ipsos survey cited by AP found 52% of Britons would support rejoining the EU, while 33% opposed it.
However, public mobilisation has been smaller than during the referendum period, with recent “rejoin” marches in London drawing limited turnout compared with earlier mass demonstrations.
Chris Grey told AP that Brexit continues to weigh on UK politics. “A chronic thing, in this case perhaps not incurable,” he said. “But it’s just that they don’t fancy going to the doctor because they know it’s not going to be very nice.”
(With inputs from Associated Press)
