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Insight paper

The Brexit Effect: How government has changed since the EU referendum

How the “Brexit Effect” has changed government, parliament and politics since the 2016 vote.

Theresa May in the House of Commons during a Brexit debate

On 23 June 2016, the British public voted, narrowly, to leave the EU. The momentous decision set the UK on a course for the most significant change to the UK’s relationship with its closest trading partner in a generation. Few would have predicted, however, that attempting to implement the referendum result would have such a profound impact on government, even before the act of leaving.

Published on 29 March 2019, the day that the UK was originally scheduled to leave, this report takes a step back. It provides a ‘snapshot’ of six main areas, setting out how the “Brexit Effect” has changed government, parliament and politics since the 2016 vote.

The report looks in turn at:

  • ministers
  • civil service
  • public bodies
  • money
  • devolution
  • parliament.

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