In the post-election rows about Labour’s heavy losses, Brexit is ever-present. The party lost 2 million of its 2017 voters to parties that had chosen one side of the European divide more explicitly. Hundreds of thousands of other Labour voters likely stayed at home.
But less examined is the impact that Brexit had on this election simply by being a part of our political culture for so many years. Without downplaying the failures of the Labour party campaign or its leadership, it’s important to remember that the four-year Brexit saga has helped to create the political and social atmosphere in which a populist rightwing party was primed to win.
Amid disruption and chaos there is often a yearning for an authoritarian leader who can promise to get things done
Related: London expected to co-host next stage of post-Brexit negotiations
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