Brexit referendum

Brexit referendum
Dgp4004 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Brexit referendum
Date	23 June 2016
Country	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Electorate	46,500,001
Turnout	72.2%
Outcome	Leave won 51.9% to 48.1%

Contents

Brexit referendum The 2016 United Kingdom referendum on membership of the European Union was a nationwide plebiscite held on 23 June 2016 in which a majority voted for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union. The referendum was the culmination of political debates involving the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), UK Independence Party, and cross-party figures such as Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, and Nigel Farage. The result set in motion negotiations under the Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and reshaped relations between the United Kingdom and European institutions including the European Commission and the European Council.

Background

The referendum was rooted in tensions over UK membership of the European Economic Community, later the European Union, dating to the 1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum and debates during the premierships of Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown. Euroscepticism grew in the 1990s and 2000s amid controversies over the Maastricht Treaty, the Lisbon Treaty, the Single European Act, and the Common Agricultural Policy. The rise of UK Independence Party under leaders such as Nigel Farage and electoral pressures from Conservative Party (UK) backbenchers prompted David Cameron to promise a referendum in the 2015 general election campaign and in negotiations with then-President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Angela Merkel of Germany. Constitutional debates involved the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and discussions referencing the European Court of Justice.

The ballot asked: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" The legal authority derived from primary legislation enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, notably the European Union Referendum Act 2015. Constitutional principles were debated with reference to the Royal Prerogative, the Parliament Act 1911, and precedents including the R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union litigation. Implementation processes included invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union under guidance from the Attorney General for England and Wales and coordination with devolved administrations such as the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.

Voting was administered across the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, with postal votes, proxy votes, and in-person voting at polling stations overseen by local Returning Officers. Major regional outcomes involved different patterns in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with the Scottish National Party and Democratic Unionist Party responding to divergent tallies. The singular official count announced a Leave majority: 17,410,742 (51.9%) Leave to 16,141,241 (48.1%) Remain. The referendum produced high turnout, comparable to recent general elections and influenced subsequent electoral dynamics for parties including Liberal Democrats (UK), Green Party of England and Wales, and Plaid Cymru.

The immediate political consequence was the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and appointment of Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party (UK) and Prime Minister. Parliamentary and cabinet realignments saw figures such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove assume prominent roles, and Labour faced internal disputes involving Jeremy Corbyn and successive shadow cabinets. The result prompted legal challenges culminating in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom decision in R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. It led to negotiation mandates for the Department for Exiting the European Union and formal notification under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union by May 2017, initiating withdrawal talks with the European Union institutions including representatives from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

Economic impacts were debated in analyses by the Bank of England, the Office for Budget Responsibility, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and private institutions such as Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and Barclays. The referendum produced immediate currency volatility in the British pound sterling and shifts in financial markets including the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250. Trade and regulatory discussions referenced the World Trade Organization rules, potential bespoke arrangements akin to the Norway–EU relations or the Switzerland–European Union relations, and concerns over the Good Friday Agreement involving Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Socially, debates about immigration policy highlighted connections to the Schengen Area and the Common Travel Area, and cultural discourse engaged institutions such as Universities UK and public health agencies including the National Health Service.

International reactions ranged from leaders of the United States including Barack Obama to continental figures such as Angela Merkel, François Hollande, Matteo Renzi, and Pedro Sánchez. Emerging policy implications affected negotiations with trading partners such as the United States of America, China, India, and members of the Commonwealth of Nations including Canada and Australia. The referendum altered dynamics within multilateral organisations like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the G7, the G20, and forums including the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. It also prompted discussions about sovereignty and integration among EU members including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands and reinvigorated debates in other member states including Greece and Poland.

Category:2016 referendums Category:2016 in the United Kingdom