On This Day in History

[Brent]

Ten years ago today


 

Ten years already.

[Herman]

n 23 June 2016, exactly 10 years ago today, the United Kingdom held one of the most consequential votes in modern democratic history. Over 33 million people turned out to answer a single question, should the UK remain a member of the European Union or leave it? When the results came in overnight, the world was stunned. Leave had won with 51.9% of the vote against 48.1% for Remain, a margin of roughly 1.3 million votes that would go on to reshape Britain, Europe, and the global political landscape for a decade.

To understand why the vote happened, you have to go back to 1973, when the UK joined the European Economic Community, a six-member trading bloc, driven by sluggish economic growth at home. Scepticism about deeper integration with Europe never fully disappeared in the decades that followed. By the early 2010s, pressure from Eurosceptic MPs within Prime Minister David Cameron's own Conservative Party, combined with the rising electoral threat of Nigel Farage's UKIP, pushed Cameron into promising a referendum if he won re-election. He won, held the vote, and lost it.

The result divided the country along sharp geographical and generational lines. England and Wales both voted 53% to Leave, while Scotland voted 62% to Remain and Northern Ireland voted 56% to Remain. Smaller towns and rural areas voted heavily Leave while major cities voted Remain. London backed Remain at 60%. Young people overwhelmingly backed staying in the EU while older voters backed leaving. Cameron resigned the morning after the result. The pound fell more than 10% against the dollar within hours, its largest single day drop in modern history, reaching levels not seen since 1985.

Delivering Brexit then took another three and a half years, three Prime Ministers, and two general elections. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, and new trade and travel rules came into force on 1 January 2021. Leaving meant exiting a system where goods moved freely across borders without checks or paperwork. British firms exporting to Europe now face rules of origin requirements, additional certifications, and border inspections that simply did not exist before 2021. Border checks alone have cost the UK an estimated £4.7 billion up to 2024, and trade with Europe is projected to be around 15% lower in the long run, with trade deals with non-EU countries not making a meaningful difference to offset that loss.

Ten years on, the economic picture has not matched what the Leave campaign promised. The UK's real GDP per capita has lagged behind the EU's 27 members, running five index points behind on the same 2016 baseline by 2025. The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates Brexit has made the country around 4% less productive. Business investment fell sharply after the vote, with some studies putting the shortfall compared to a non-Brexit scenario at between 12 and 18%. On migration, the outcome also diverged from what was promised. EU migration did fall sharply after Brexit, but non-EU migration surged in its place, pushing total net migration to a record high in 2023, higher than at any point during EU membership.

Public opinion has shifted dramatically. A June 2026 YouGov poll found that 57% of Britons now believe leaving the EU was the wrong decision, versus just 30% who think it was the right one. A separate Ipsos poll found that 52% of Britons think the UK should apply to rejoin. About two thirds of 18 to 24 year olds, many of whom were too young to vote in 2016, say they would vote to rejoin today. Whether Britain eventually does rejoin, or forges a new kind of relationship with its closest neighbors, the vote of 23 June 2016 remains one of the most debated, argued over, and consequential days in modern British history.

[Prof Emeritus at Fawk U]

If the Brits are still going through buyer's remorse after a decade, then they're dumb.

[Brent]

If the Brits are still going through buyer's remorse after a decade, then they're dumb.

Both Labour and the Conservatives sold out Brits on carrying out Brexit. Britain is still following Brussels rules on migration. That is crazy.

[Prof Emeritus at Fawk U]

Both Labour and the Conservatives sold out Brits on carrying out Brexit. Britain is still following Brussels rules on migration. That is crazy.

Beyond pathetic.

[Oliver the Second]

Mel Brooks was born 100 years ago today. Happy birthday Mel 
 
 

[Prof Emeritus at Fawk U]

Mel Brooks was born 100 years ago today. Happy birthday Mel 
 
 

Blazing Saddles is one of the funniest movies ever.   

[Brent]

1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York state.

[Thiel]

1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York state.

Some people don't know New York had slavery.

[Brent]

Some people don't know New York had slavery.

Some people with deep sun tans cannot let go of slavery.