Shifting voter demographics and the dire consequences of leaving the EU are now clear – but are yet to prompt a rethink
In December 2016, only six months after the Brexit referendum, there was a byelection in the constituency of Sleaford and North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, part of an area where 62% of voters had backed leaving the EU. The local Tory MP had resigned over his differences with Theresa May and her government over its treatment of refugees, international aid and attempts to cut parliament out of the Brexit process – and thereby triggered a contest defined by the idea that we had to confront the EU and escape its grip as soon as possible. The Tories campaigned with the slogan “Brexit means Brexit” and the promise of “a fully independent, sovereign country”, and won over 50% of the vote, with Ukip coming a distant second.
When I spent time there, what was interesting was not the rather muted battle between the parties, but a glaring generational divide, which was clear as soon as I started talking to people. At one end of the spectrum, most people over 60 were still worked up about the EU, equally vocal about a range of issues that swirled around it, and worried that Westminster might somehow snatch Brexit away. But anyone under 30 responded to questions about such things either with pro-remain opinions, or indifferent shrugs.
John Harris is a Guardian columnist
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