On June 23 2016, a majority of Britons chose to leave the European Union after a referendum campaign driven by the promises of supporters of the “Leave” camp, spearheaded by Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. Built around the slogan “Take Back Control”, the pro-Brexit campaign promised to restore the country’s sovereignty, regain control over migration flows, and boost economic prosperity. Ten years on, hopes have given way to a bitter sense of disillusion that the British refer to as “Bregret”, and it is a divided, weakened, disenchanted country who is about to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the referendum.

There are few events in a country’s national history that constitute such an immense and profound shock as Brexit. The announcement of the results, that indicated a 51.9% victory for the “Leave” camp, sent shockwaves across the world. After 43 years of a relationship that was often turbulent and confrontational, the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union and open a new chapter in its history.

The reasons for the shock were manifold: first, it was an unprecedented event that raised many uncertainties and fears about the future of the United Kingdom and the European Union alike; the shock was also explained by the completely unexpected nature of the victory, given that the main polling institutes were predicting a close election, giving the “Remain” camp a slight edge; finally, the vote in favour of Brexit represented a political and ideological victory for Nigel Farage, the then leader of the far right populist United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) which was fiercely hostile to the European Union, immigration and multiculturalism.

Previously considered more of an outsider, Nigel Farage then went on to become a central figure in the British political landscape, unanimously recognised as the main architect of Brexit. His campaign themes – which revolved primarily around the fight against immigration, restoring national sovereignty, and defending British national identity – emerged as the dominant themes in the national debate. Boris Johnson, another central figure in the “Leave” campaign and........

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