British Eurosceptic voters before and after Brexit

This article explores the evolution of Euroscepticism within British public opinion before and after Brexit. First, it contextualizes recent trends in the longue durée of UK-EU relations, reconstructing a comparable time series of polling evidence on the strength of opposition to EU membership from 1955 to 2024. Second, it zooms in on the period between the 2019 and 2024 general elections, identifying the continuities and changes affecting mass attitudes toward Europe. The analysis shows that Eurosceptic voters emerged from Brexit victorious, weakened, but resilient. The underlying, latent divide over Europe continues to structure voting behaviour and undermine the stability of the political system in the United Kingdom.