Brexit Referendum of 2016

The UK voted 51.9 to 48.1 percent to leave the European Union, ending 43 years of membership.

Overview

On June 23, 2016, on a 72.2 percent turnout, 17.4 million Britons voted Leave against 16.1 million Remain, a 3.8-point margin that split England and Wales against London, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Cameron resigned within hours. The result triggered Article 50 in 2017, a chaotic 2017 election, the 2019 deadlock, and formal exit on January 31, 2020. The referendum's migration themes and disrupt-the-establishment energy ran parallel to 2016 politics across the West, and its consequences defined British politics for a decade.