Welcome to The Independent’s EU referendum results blog… 10 years on.
To mark a decade since the Brexit vote, this special page replays the events of the referendum night of 23 June 2016 in “real time”, as if it were a breaking news story today.
Everyone remembers where they were the night that David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage shaped the Brexit vote that changed Britain.
From the moment polls closed at 10pm on 23 June 2016 to the official declaration confirming Britain’s Leave vote at 7.40am the next morning and the reaction that followed, we are bringing you every twist as it happened.
Join us as events unfold, highlighting how early confidence in a Remain victory gives way to one of the most unexpected election results in modern British political history – a 52 per cent vote to Leave the European Union.
This live event is part of The Independent’s new campaign, Europe: The Way Back, exploring how Britain can rebuild its relationship with Europe. Click here to join the campaign, sign up to our free newsletter and shape the debate
Now read on – and experience Brexit night as it unfolded a decade ago...
Key Points
- The Brexit Debates
- Remain predicted to win
- Polls close at 10pm
Join our campaign to rebuild Britain's relationship with Europe
17:24 , Jacqui Merrington
The Independent has launched Europe: The Way Back to explore ways to rebuild Britain's future relationship with Europe.
Join the community here and receive our free weekly newsletter hosted by David Maddox and Millie Cooke; unlock expert analysis and opinion; join the debate with like-minded pro-Europeans; plus get exclusive access to content and events.
Polls close
Monday 22 June 2026 22:00 , Paul Clements
10pm, Thursday June 23, 2016
Across the country, polls close in the 2016 EU referendum.
Eye of the storm
Monday 22 June 2026 22:01 , The Independent
10.01pm For many, it has been a struggle to get to the polling station.
An unseasonal weather front – from continental Europe, of all places – has brought flash flooding to swathes of the south and south-east England, closing several major London stations, including Waterloo, Euston and London Bridge.
The travel chaos leaves tens of thousands of commuters stranded on packed concourses, many unable to get home in time to cast their vote.
Forecast: evening rush, amber warning in force for London & parts of Southeast 1500-2300. Tomasz S pic.twitter.com/fAagMHsabJ
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) June 23, 2016
Farage concedes defeat
Monday 22 June 2026 22:03 , The Independent
10.03pm Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader and a key Leave campaigner, tells Sky News: “It’s been an extraordinary referendum campaign, turnout looks to be exceptionally high – and it looks like Remain will edge it”.
Remain predicted to win
Monday 22 June 2026 22:08 , The Independent
10.08pm In the absence of an official exit poll, YouGov uses some on-the-day surveys conducted outside polling stations to predict the final result: “Remain 52 per cent, Leave 48 per cent.”
YouGov on-the-day poll: REMAIN 52, LEAVE 48 pic.twitter.com/TFlAcGcYIR
— YouGov (@YouGov) June 23, 2016
Kellner's verdict
Monday 22 June 2026 22:15 , The Independent
10.15pm Pollster Peter Kellner publishes a blog predicting that Remain will have an 8.5 per cent lead over Leave.
“The final UK result should be somewhere in the range of Remain 51.2-57.3 per cent, Leave 42.7-48.8 per cent”
The Brexit Debates
Monday 22 June 2026 22:30 , Jacqui Merrington
Ten years after the EU referendum, has Brexit been a success? Have your say here and see what GB News’s deputy political editor Tom Harwood and PoliticsJoe’s political editor Ava Santina have to say as they set out the case for and against the economic success of Brexit
Boris says democracy has been served
Monday 22 June 2026 22:41 , Jacqui Merrington
10.41pm Boris Johnson issues a thank you to the public for voting. It’s his last post on Twitter for several days - he goes very quiet after the result.
The polls have now closed, democracy has been served + we await the verdict of the people. Thanks to everyone involved + everyone who voted
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 23, 2016
Johnson wrote two fabled newspaper columns before the referendum – one arguing to leave the EU, one to remain – written before he decided to publicly back the Brexit campaign. One of the few people to read both columns was his sister. Rachel Johnson says, 10 years on, his unpublished article in support of the EU reads very differently
The pound rises
Monday 22 June 2026 23:00 , The Independent
11pm With the count well underway across the country, sterling hits $1.5018, its highest point against the dollar since December 2015.
The Independent dares to hope…
Monday 22 June 2026 23:01 , The Independent
11.01pm The Independent’s first daily edition front-page of the night carries the headline: “In The Lead: Early opinion polls suggest Remain campaign is heading for victory in referendum battle that will decide UK's future”.
Ten years on, The Independent's Daily Edition is still available seven days a week. Check out the latest front pages here
And the first declaration is…
Monday 22 June 2026 23:40 , Paul Clements
11.40pm The first of 382 UK voting areas to declare is Gibraltar, the British overseas territory.
Its residents support Remain with a 95.9 per cent share, on a 84 per cent turnout.
Newcastle declares for Remain… but only just
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:04 , Paul Clements
12.04am, Friday June 24, 2016
Just after midnight, Newcastle-upon-Tyne becomes the first mainland voting area to declare, minutes ahead of nearby Sunderland.
… and it’s a narrow Remain win (50.7 per cent Remain vs 49.3 per cent Leave).
The one-percent margin is far closer than many expected in a university city, and the result electrifies the Leave campaign.
It will eventually be the only part of north-east England to support Remain.
The Leave camp perks up
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:19 , Paul Clements
12.19am David Maddox, who is now the Independent’s political editor, tweets:
“Ukip sources said they expected Leave to lose Newcastle by at least 4 points so very happy came in at less than 1 per cent difference”
“Ukip sources said they expected Leave to lose Newcastle by at least 4 points so very happy came in at less than 1 per cent difference”
Sunderland sinks the pound
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:20 , The Independent
12.20am The second mainland result, Sunderland, is a strong Leave win (61.4 per cent Leave vs 38.7 per cent Remain).
The scale of the Leave win in this area triggers a sharp drop in the pound, which plunges 3.5 per cent to $1.435 in one of the largest recorded daily falls since the 2008 financial crisis.
Remain breathes a sigh in Swindon
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:56 , The Independent
12.56am Just as it appears things seem to be going Leave’s way, the Swindon results lands.
It’s another win for the out campaigners – but with a narrower lead than the 15pt difference that had been predicted (Leave 54.7 per cent, Remain 45.3 per cent).
Wiltshire and Swindon vote to leave EU
Broxbourne backs Brexit
Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:59 , The Independent
12.59am Broxbourne in Hertfordshire declares – but its two-thirds vote for Leave is far higher than the 26pts the BBC number-crunchers had predicted.
The town briefly trends on Twitter.
01:15 , The Independent
1.15am John Rentoul, the Independent’s chief political commentator, tweets in frustration.
“Not happy with the BBC keeping its methodology secret and not saying exactly how results compare with its baseline”
Nobody's going anywhere
01:27 , The Independent
1.27am For political journalists, who thought Remain had this in the bag, it has instead become an all-nighter.
Rentoul tweets again:
“My plan to write an update of my early comment [piece for the Independent] assuming a Remain win and go to sleep until 4 has met reality & come off worst”
Basildon points to Brexit
01:51 , The Independent
1.51am Basildon in Essex – which has long been an election-night bellwether – declares strongly in favour of Leave (68.6 per cent Leave to 31.4 per cent Remain).
It is one of the earliest signs that the national result might be heading towards Brexit after all.
The Independent’s political sketchwriter Tom Peck – who is reporting from Leave HQ in Millbank, central London for the night – comments that the moment Basildon announced it has supported Leave, the cheers are so loud, viewers at home will have “barely heard the chants of ‘F*** off, Brussels’.”
Don't read too much into Basildon voting 75% leave. That place gave themselves their own Hollywood sign. #EUref
— Daniel Parker 💙 (@Danbo12) June 23, 2016
Kettering declares
02:09 , The Independent
2.09am The East Midlands town of Kettering delivers another decisive vote for Leave – 61.0 per cent Leave to 39 per cent Remain, on a turnout of 76.4 per cent.
Hollywood can't believe what's happening
02:11 , Paul Clements
2.11am Mean Girls actor Lindsay Lohan – famed as much for her chaotic life off-screen as her films – sends what will become an iconic tweet to her 9.28 million followers:
“#REMAIN Sorry, but #KETTERING where are you&why is this woman @BBCNews speaking on people rather than TELLING us what happens if UK LEAVES?”
Lindsay Lohan
The American star later deletes her contribution – but it will be mentioned in a future House of Commons debate.
She will also record a video message to the people of Kettering, confirming she will not be switching on the town's Christmas lights.
Bookies start backing Brexit
02:12 , Paul Clements
2.12am Ladbrokes, the high-street bookies, declares that Leave is now favourite to win: 4/7 Leave, 5/4 Remain.
02:13 , Paul Clements
2.13am Stats wizard Chris Hanratty, from the University of East Anglia – whose contributions during the campaign have helped political correspondents to better number-crunch poll splits – updates his prediction.
Remain now has just three per cent chance of winning.
“I’m conscious that I may have made a terrible mistake somewhere in estimating differential turnout”
Chris Hanratty
Leave? Aaron banks on it
02:14 , The Independent
2.14am The co-founder of Leave.EU, Aaron Banks, tells BBC referendum night anchor Laura Kuenssberg that he now thinks Leave has won.
Better Leave right now
02:18 , Paul Clements
2.18am The Leave vote reaches a million, ahead of Remain.
Scotland swings behind Remain
02:28 , The Independent
2.28am Glasgow declares for Remain.
Stunning and brave
02:51 , The Independent
2.51am Peter Murrell – the SNP’s chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – tweets: “Remain now has over 1 million votes in Scotland. With just 8 results to go, the map is turning bright yellow [Remain].”
02h50: Remain now has over 1 million votes in Scotland. With just 8 results to go, the map is turning bright yellow pic.twitter.com/clL4W8iqLE
— Peter Murrell (@PeterMurrell) June 24, 2016
Too big to fail
03:00 , The Independent
3am In Lincolnshire, Boston registers the biggest Leave vote of the night – with 75.6 per cent in favour.
We can be zeroes
03:09 , The Independent
3.09am Hanratty updates his prediction, now giving Remain a zero per cent chance of winning.
Latest forecast from @chrishanretty: Remain 47%, Leave 53% https://t.co/UJsWlPZNWw pic.twitter.com/TCjTP1Lhdo
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
Curtice calls it
03:15 , The Independent
3.15am Veteran pollster Professor Sir John Curtice tells the BBC that Leave are now favourites to win.
Ten years on, in an extract from The Brexit Effect exclusively published by The Independent, Prof Sir John Curtice outlines why Brexit failed to live up to voter expectations and why the majority want to go back
Yorkshire leans out
03:26 , The Independent
3.26am Sheffield – England's fourth largest city, which had been predicted to go 52 per cent for Remain – votes 51 per cent Leave.
Just half a million in it
03:45 , The Independent
3.45am Leave is now comfortably ahead of Remain, by more than 500,000 votes.
Boris rampant
03:54 , The Independent
3.54am John Rentoul tweets: “I'm in shock. David Cameron's gamble has failed. His career is over. Will the Commons sit on Saturday? Is Boris Johnson really up to it?”
I'm in shock. David Cameron's gamble has failed. His career is over. Will the Commons sit on Saturday? Is Boris Johnson really up to it?
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
Keep calm and carry cash
03:55 , Paul Clements
3.55am Tory MP and Leave campaigner Jacob Rees-Mogg reassures the BBC that, despite the pound now being in near freefall, if there is to be a recession, it won’t be because of Brexit.
Rather, “there are fragile economic conditions in other parts of the world. I can’t say no recession ever, but not caused by Brexit specifically”.
Nigel Farage admits Leave has won
04:04 , Paul Clements
4.04am In his first impromptu speech of the night, Farage says: “Dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom… This will be a victory for ordinary people.”
Addressing Leave supporters, he also claims that June 23rd will be remembered in history as the "UK’s independence day".
But he also says that “we have done it without having to fight, we have done it without a bullet being fired”.
It is widely criticised as insensitive, coming just days after the murder of MP Jo Cox during the campaign.
The Independent updates its digital edition’s front page.
Britain had lost to Farage
04:06 , Jacqui Merrington
We asked readers of The Independent to share their memories of the Brexit referendum. Add your memories here
I still remember, on the night after the vote, Farage claiming that he had lost. It was obvious that he had won, but he wanted to make some money for a friend. The pound shot up when some believed that he had lost, and then collapsed when people realised that Britain had lost to Farage and his friend made money. Farage was a con man to the end.
Hera
Union, what union?
04:07 , Paul Clements
4.07am Former Independent editor Andrew Marr tweets: "This (probably) means the end of the UK as we have known it. Oh, and the government is pretty much shot, as well."
This (probably) means the end of the UK as we have known it. Oh, and the government is pretty much shot, as well.
— Andrew Marr (@AndrewMarr9) June 24, 2016
And the next prime minister will be…
04:10 , The Independent
4.10am John Rentoul tweets: “Some people suggesting Theresa May as a unity candidate. Tory party members won’t wear it.
Some people suggesting Theresa May as a unity candidate. Tory party members won't wear it. It's Boris Johnson. We had better get used to it.
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
“It’s Boris Johnson. We had better get used to it.”
Former Tory MP Conor Burns recalls the chaos surrounding Boris Johnson’s rise to Downing Street, in an extract from The Brexit Effect 2016-2026: Boris’ path to power and Brexit, told by those who loved and loathed him
A new Leave projected vote
04:20 , Paul Clements
4.20am Based on partial results and modelling of newly available turnout data, Leave is projected by both BBC and ITV to surpass the 16.76m votes needed to secure victory.
Leading Remainers throw in the towel
04:28 , Paul Clements
4.28am Ardent Remain campaigner and Tory MP Anna Soubry tweets: "I will respect the result. It's a dreadful decision. We have to make the best of it."
I will respect the result. It's a dreadful decision. We have to make the best of it.
— Anna Soubry 🇬🇧🏴🇺🇦🇪🇺🖤🤍 (@Anna_Soubry) June 24, 2016
The BBC shows 'ludicrous caution'
04:37 , Paul Clements
4.37am Apparently in denial about the result, the BBC can only bring itself to announce it is "likely that the Leave campaign has built up a clear lead".
John Rentoul tweets, calling it “ludicrous caution”.
BBC ludicrous caution. "Likely that the Leave campaign has built up a clear lead."
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
Dimbleby: We're out
04:40 , Paul Clements
4.40am With no time for a trigger warning, the veteran anchor of the BBC’s results coverage David Dimbleby calls it.
“Well, at 20 minutes to 5, we can now say the decision taken in 1975 by this country to join the Common Market has been reversed by this referendum to leave the EU... The British people have spoken and the answer is: We're out."
The pound keeps falling
04:41 , Paul Clements
4.41am The pound, already in the throes of a historic collapse, continues to plunge on Dimbleby’s announcement, eventually sinking to a 31-year low.
The largest one-day fall in sterling’s history is one of the most dramatic currency moves ever seen in a major developed-market currency, far exceeding that of Black Wednesday in 1992.
Former foreign secretary David Miliband, in his essay from The Brexit Effect, 2016-2026 serialised by The Indepedent earlier this month, argues that we are still suffering a punishing Brexit tax every day, 10 years on
Britain searches for gold – and Irish passports
05:00 , Paul Clements
5am As strong Leave results continue to pour in, Google Trends reports a spike of more than 500 per cent in UK searches for “buy gold” over the previous four hours.
It is part of a broader wave of panicked informational searches, which also include “how to apply for an Irish passport” and “move to Gibraltar”.
Corden's Californian nightmare
05:06 , Paul Clements
5.06am James Corden, the British comedian, tweets from LA, where he lives while working as the host of CBS's The Late Late Show:
“I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x”
I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x
— James Corden (@JKCorden) June 24, 2016
Brexpelliarmus!
05:07 , Paul Clements
5.07am In reply to a distressed Harry Potter fan asking her to “do something” about Britain leaving the EU, author JK Rowling says: “I don't think I've ever wanted magic more."
I don't think I've ever wanted magic more. https://t.co/gVNQ0PYIMT
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 24, 2016
I cried
05:14 , Jacqui Merrington
Independent reader The Horseman recalls an encounter with a Polish man on referendum night
On the day of the referendum it rained incessantly in London. I’d been working late and was forced to take the Tube to Rayners Lane because my branch of the Metropolitan line had flooded and wasn’t running.
I walked home from Rayners Lane, a distance of about five miles. Along the way I met a similarly drenched and lost Polish man who had just moved to the UK and, I discovered, was living close to where I did. Due to the public transport failures he was completely lost, so I walked with him to the end of his street.
The exit polls seemed initially to be showing a very slight lead for Remain, so as we separated I told him that I thought everything was going to be OK – Brexit wasn’t going to happen.
Shattered after a long day and an unnecessarily long walk, I went to bed. I woke at 6am to hear James Naughtie saying: “Nothing has changed, but everything has changed, Britain has voted to leave the EU.”
And then, as I recall, I cried.
The Horseman
Leave has definitely, definitely won
06:02 , Paul Clements
6.02am The Leave campaign officially reaches 16.76 million votes, making it a mathematical certainty that the UK has chosen to leave the European Union.
I tried to hit the TV
06:15 , Jacqui Merrington
We asked The Independent readers to tell us where they were on referendum night
I awoke to the sound of my neighbours screaming. I jumped up to turn the TV on and tried to hit it to fix the picture I was seeing, which said the Leave vote had won.
Ten years on, it is clear my initial reaction was the right one – it has been a complete disaster.
This was in the North East of England, so be careful of stereotyping people.
EULou
Stoke-on-Trent goes all out
06:20 , The Independent
6.20am One of the most deprived cities in the UK, Stoke-on-Trent declares for Leave – 69.4 per cent Leave vs 30.6 per cent Remain – in the West Midlands’ most polarised vote (which votes 59 per Leave).
It will forever be known as England’s “Brexit capital”.
Guess who's to blame…
06:30 , Paul Clements
6.30am John Rentoul tweets: “Those secret exit polls for City institutions didn't amount to much, did they?"
“Those secret exit polls for City institutions didn't amount to much, did they?"
John Rentoul
He then follows it with: “#alltonyblairsfault".
#alltonyblairsfault https://t.co/Rumlz5bYhK
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
It is a great shame that the excellent hashtag does not trend.
No, Jeremy Corbyn…
06:32 , Paul Clements
6.32am Labour MP for Hackney North Diane Abbott appears on the BBC: “Jeremy Corbyn’s position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party.”
Jeremy Corbyn’s position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party
Diane Abbott
John Rentoul tweets in reply, calling it a “remarkable defence”.
"Jeremy Corbyn's position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party": remarkable defence by @HackneyAbbott #BBC
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
In June 2026, a two-part BBC documentary marking a decade since the EU referendum made it clear that David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn were as culpable for scuttling the Remain campaign as Nigel Farage, writes Donald Macintyre
Would the last person to leave the country…
06:59 , Paul Clements
6.59am With many Remainers now despairing about Britain’s future, The Independent publishes a word of advice “for those less than thrilled by the results of the referendum”, under the headline: “Brexit: How to leave the United Kingdom”.
“The nation awakens to Brexit this morning… here are your options.
“Respect the flow of democracy and get on with life, actually vote next time – or chuck it all in and move to a warmer country where the currency isn’t plummeting and Boris Johnson isn’t poised to be next Prime Minister…”
The story also explained how to move abroad (First, “notify your council…”) – but choose your destination wisely. It cautions against the United States, because of “the possibility of a Trump presidency” – but “if you’re quick and can get out before Britain draws up the paperwork to shut itself off from the rest of the continent”, Europe is still your oyster.
“Iceland has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world, Bjork and nicegeothermal lagoons. Meanwhile, Poland's economy continues to grow meanwhile, expected to increase by 3.9 per cent…”
Or maybe you could just Smile?
07:01 , Paul Clements
7.01am On behalf of her generation, singer Lily Allen tweets: "Well millennials. We're really really f***ed."
Well millennials. We're really really fucked.
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) June 24, 2016
I was doing my GCSEs and dreaming of studying overseas – then a referendum I didn’t get a vote dashed that for me and everyone else who doesn’t have rich parents, writes Amelia Jacobs 10 years on
Cornwall counts dreckly
07:05 , Jacqui Merrington
7.05am The final result of the Brexit referendum is declared. It‘s Cornwall, which has voted Leave despite receiving more than £1billion in EU funding since 2000.
I am editor of CornwallLive as the result comes in and when our reporters head out onto the streets of Truro, Falmouth and Penzance to gather reaction, they are met by anger and abuse.
A decade on from the EU referendum, Alex Ross visits Cornwall to discover a fishing industry still reeling from a betrayal by the Leave campaign
Who's really to blame for Brexit?
07:16 , Paul Clements
7.16am John Rentoul tweets: “It was [German chancellor Angela] Merkel, [European commissioner Jean-Claude] Juncker and [president of the European Parliament, Martin] Schulz who did it: if they had given Cameron real restrictions on free movement he could have won it”.
It was Merkel, Juncker and Schulz who did it: if they had given Cameron real restrictions on free movement he could have won it
— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016
Europe: The final count
07:20 , Paul Clements
7.20am With all 382 local totals now certified, the formal national result is declared at Manchester Town Hall by Jenny Watson, chief counting officer and chair of the Electoral Commission.
Leave has won 17,410,742 votes (51.9 per cent), with Remain on 16,141,241 votes (48.1 per cent).
A majority of sitting Labour MPs now represent constituencies that voted to Leave.
The only areas not to vote for Brexit are London, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Still no, Jeremy Corbyn…
07:30 , Paul Clements
7.30am Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn is the first major party leader to respond to the referendum result.
He tells the BBC that “the British people have made their decision. We must respect that result, and Article 50 [the mechanism to trigger the UK's exit from the EU] has to be invoked now so that we negotiate an exit from the European Union.”
The British people have made their decision. We must respect that result, and Article 50 has to be invoked now so that we negotiate an exit from the European Union
Jeremy Corbyn
07:41 , Paul Clements
7.41am The Independent’s political reporter Millie Cooke – then an 18-year-old student – tweets:
“Not only are we now standing alone, but our politicians are too busy focusing on leadership race to bother about stable relations w/ europe."
Millie now writes Europe: The Way Back, a free weekly newsletter with our political correspondent David Maddox. Sign up here or by using the form below:
“Not only are we now standing alone, but our politicians are too busy focusing on leadership race to bother about stable relations w/ europe."
Millie Cooke
UK out. PM out
08:15 , Paul Clements
8.15am After informing the Queen of his intention to resign, David Cameron delivers an emotional statement outside 10 Downing Street alongside his wife Samantha (“the love of my life”), thanking her for helping “keep me vaguely sane”.
I believe Theresa will provide strong and stable leadership in fulfilling the Conservative manifesto on which we were elected, and I wish her well in negotiating the best possible terms for Britain's exit from the European Union.
David Cameron
Cameron recommends that Theresa May forms the next administration.
The Independent produces a fifth referendum result front page: “UK out. PM out”.
Join Europe: The Way Back
08:25 , Jacqui Merrington
We are a decade on from the Brexit referendum – but the UK is still divided. That is why we are launching a new editorial campaign. It is time to find a better way forward, writes editor-in-chief Geordie Greig.
Join a community of like-minded people exploring ways to rebuild Britain’s relationship with Europe here
What you will get by joining:
- A dedicated community: We are fully committed to the long haul, consistently campaigning to secure the absolute best deal for Britain within Europe.
- Free weekly newsletter : Every Wednesday, political editor David Maddox and political correspondent Millie Cooke will be in your inbox with exclusive reporting, analysis and insight on the biggest developments shaping relations between Britain and Europe.
- Exclusive content: Get the highest quality analysis, opinion and debate from political experts across the UK and Europe by subscribing to our premium service.
- Inform the debate: Receive exclusive invitations to live events, webinars, expert Q&As and podcast recordings.
It's all Greek
09:10 , Jacqui Merrington
Where were you when the Brexit referendum result was announced?
We were on holiday in Greece when the result was announced. The Greek people were very happy saying, “Europe is really in the sh*t now, and for once it’s not our fault.”
Graham58, Independent reader
The biggest Leave vote in Britain goes to...
09:15 , Jacqui Merrington
As the dust settles on the results, Boston in Lincolnshire emerges as the place that has voted to leave the EU in greater numbers than any other place in Britain.
Ten years on, Boston remains deeply divided. In the town that became the face of Leave, hopes of change have given way to frustration, disillusionment and a growing sense that the arguments of 2016 are far from over, writes Colin Drury. But the residents don’t regret a thing.
Descrambling an egg
09:30 , Jacqui Merrington
I went to bed at my normal time, expecting a Remain vote. When I woke up, I found out that I had been wrong. I went to work, thinking about the consequences. This was later called “descrambling an egg”, which is still ongoing.
When I arrived at work, I found an email from my CEO (based in the USA): “How can we make business out of this?” with an invitation for a call later that day. We both agreed that Brexit was a bad idea and we should try anything reasonably possible to make the UK change its mind. But in that same call, we decided to start developing specific Brexit services. Those business opportunities were some of the nicest Brexit benefits I have witnessed.
Orval
'Cameron should always be remembered as the most consequentially bad prime minister of the post-war era'
09:45 , Jacqui Merrington
Since the 10th anniversary of Brexit is here, it’s right and important that Cameron’s pivotal role in the whole mess is remembered, writes James Kirkup in this exclusive opinion piece for The Independent.
Britain has a fondness for nostalgia, fondly rose-tinting our memories of former leaders who are generally allowed to fade into gracious retirement with generous indulgence. That nostalgia has been amplified by more recent political turmoil. Isn’t the ceaseless churn of hopeless prime ministers enough to make you wish for the relative calm and poise of the Cameron years?
After all, he governed for six years, a stint currently almost unthinkable now, and even managed some cross-party co-operation with Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats. Doesn’t the current permacrisis in UK politics mean Cameron deserves a mildly positive verdict from posterity?
No. No. Absolutely and definitively no. Cameron should always be remembered as the most consequentially bad prime minister of the post-war era. His name should forever be synonymous with failure. Failure followed by ruinous cowardice.
Heseltine says Brexit campaigners misled the British people
10:07 , Jacqui Merrington
In a notable interview with Evan Davis on BBC Newsnight in the days following the referendum, former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine said the British people had been "sold a deceitful pup" by Brexit campaigners. He argued Boris Johnson should lead negotiations ("he got us into this mess") and reiterated support for a second referendum or general election.
Ten years later, in an exclusive article for The Independent, Heseltine argues that Brexit was a self-imposed disaster and those behind it should ‘hang their heads in shame’. ‘
It erected barriers between our manufacturing and service industries and our largest market. It divided us into a range of cultural, artistic, environmental and academic policies. It left our diplomats waiting in the corridors to learn what decisions were being taken with profound consequences for us,’ he writes.
I didn't recognise my own country
10:30 , Jacqui Merrington
We asked readers of The Independent to tell us where they were when the Brexit result was announced...
RickC was in a stranger’s bed.
Ironically perhaps, on the morning after the vote I woke up in a stranger’s bed in southern France. I was touring over there and my co-worker and I were staying at a friend of the promoter’s house. We’d both voted by proxy, but whereas my friend had stayed up all night, I’d gone to bed.
We were both pretty hacked off about the result, naturally, but our schedule was busy and there wasn’t much opportunity for discussion. It was only when I got home a couple of weeks later that the reality sank in, and when reports started to come in of a spike in racist attacks I realised who we had lost to.
For a good while afterwards, I didn’t recognise my own country. I’m not sure that isn’t still the case.
RickC
Brexit fractured the European Union, and broke British politics
10:45 , Jill Lawless
The U.K. is about to get its seventh prime minister since June 23, 2016, a decade ago Tuesday, when the country voted 52%-48% to leave the EU after more than four decades of membership. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the referendum but campaigned for the U.K. to stay in the bloc, quit the next day.
His successors have all grappled, largely unsuccessfully, with the consequences of that rupture. The latest is Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who announced Monday that he was stepping down after two years of a sluggish economy, malfunctioning government and a divided and jaded electorate — all legacies, at least in part, of Brexit.
Read Jill Lawless on the unruly mess left by Brexit here
Brexit campaigners promised a better future - it wasn't
10:55 , Jacqui Merrington
It is a decade on from a referendum that promised lower migration, more money for the NHS and boom time for the economy – and the country is still paying a heavy price, writes Chris Blackhurst in this exclusive piece for The Independent 10 years after Brexit
Overwhelmed with misery
11:08 , Jacqui Merrington
Readers of The Independent have been sharing memories of how they felt when the result was announced. Add yours here
I had been campaigning all day for Remain and, despite never sharing Cameron and Co’s confidence that we would win, I began to be reassured by the exit polls. My devastation increased as result after result was announced. I couldn’t go to bed and just felt overwhelming misery, depression and grief for what we all – but particularly my children and grandchildren – had lost.
That feeling lasted for several days and although I got on with life, it was always in the background. I shall never forgive the Leave campaign for the lies, the manipulation, the Russian interference, etc., or indeed Cameron for giving people a vote with absolutely no constitutional safeguards whatsoever.
Since that terrible day, I have done all I could to campaign, first for a people’s vote and then for rejoining, and I have been utterly frustrated by politicians enabling Brexit and refusing to confront it, with their utterly ridiculous and unnecessary red lines. There has been some improvement recently, of course, but it’s too slow and too timid.
Viking50
We'll never get our country back
11:45 , Jacqui Merrington
Indy readers have been sharing your memories of that referendum night. Join the conversation here
The day after the referendum I dropped some books into my local Oxfam shop. Everyone was discussing the result. When asked what I thought, I simply said: “It’s a complete disaster, and we’ll never get our country back again.”
Everything then happened just as I expected. The worst of it was watching David Davis pretending to negotiate while really just sitting around doing nothing, and pretending we would get a marvellous outcome. How stupid it all was!
foreign field
10 years on, has Brexit been a success?
12:02 , Lauren MacDougall
As the dust settles on ten years of change, debate still rages over whether Brexit delivered on its promises or left more questions than answers.
We want to know what Independent readers think a decade on: would you class Brexit as a success? Vote in the poll below and tell us more in the comments here.
Deeply sad for my children
12:16 , Jacqui Merrington
We asked readers of The Independent to share their memories of the Brexit vote. Mich responded...
I will never forget when the result came through. I felt devastated and deeply sad for my children, who were all students at the time. I had assured them that Leave wouldn’t win in the end, as the majority would see through the lies and hype.
I love my country but have always brought my children up as global citizens, having lived in Europe and the US. All these years on, I continue to feel deeply sad that the truth continues to be suppressed by lies that are paid for by those who do not care about what is best for the country, but only care about money and power for themselves at any cost.
I have observed with increasing horror what has happened since Brexit. The immigration and “take back our borders” message has taken centre stage with the rise of right-wing fascist movements. I feel that it’s more important than ever, in a world where untruths can quickly be made into truths through money, to speak up.
Mich
What happens if we leave the EU? No one actually knows...
12:34 , Andrew Griffin
12.34pm Hours after it became clear that Britain was headed for Brexit, searches surge for “what happens if we leave the EU” – suggesting that nobody really knows what just happened, writes Andrew Griffin.
It remains unclear what exactly will happen to Britain when it leaves the EU, or how or when it will happen. Politicians in the UK and Europe have moved to assure people that while nobody really knows what will happen if Britain leaves the EU, that nothing will happen immediately.
Our holiday home became our only home
13:23 , Jacqui Merrington
Indy readers share their memories of what happened on Brexit night. Join the conversation
I was in our holiday home in France. My wonderful French neighbours knew the result before me. Hard to tell who was the most upset.
They, like many in France, felt rejected. Hurt.
My husband phoned from the UK. “That’s it,” he said. “We have to leave this narrow, inward-looking, delusional country. I’m putting my notice in today.”
Our holiday home became our only home. Best thing we ever did. Very happy here.
Amboise37400
Did Brexit let Britain 'take back control'?
13:35 , Jacqui Merrington
Ten years on, former diplomat Ameer Kotecha and journalist Marie Le Conte set out the case for and against Brexit delivering on the Leave campaign’s flagship promise
The point is this: immigration – legal and illegal – has long been far higher than the British people want. And after the vote to leave it rose still higher. But none of this was an inevitable result of Brexit. As the Migration Observatory at Oxford University put it, "The UK took back control but chose not to exercise it.”
Ameer Kotecha
Has Brexit actually helped Britain 'take back control of its borders'? Trick question. "Control" was only ever a dog-whistle aimed at people who were strongly against immigration. We know this because pro-Brexit campaigners argued that agency was the only thing they cared about.
Marie Le Conte
Join our campaign to rebuild Britain's relationship with Europe
17:24 , Jacqui Merrington
The Independent has launched Europe: The Way Back to explore ways to rebuild Britain's future relationship with Europe.
Join the community here and receive our free weekly newsletter hosted by David Maddox and Millie Cooke; unlock expert analysis and opinion; join the debate with like-minded pro-Europeans; plus get exclusive access to content and events.
