Why the UK Might Re-join the EU

The re-join scenario may sound farfetched at present, but so was the idea of leaving the EU prior to 2016. Trade unions, industry, banking, and key allies all backed continued membership, while the coalition government’s Review of the Balance of Competences (2012-14) found little reason to query the UK’s treaty commitments. But although the referendum result was a surprise, the decision to hold the vote at all came on the back of an identifiable process of policy evolution.

Paradoxically, therefore, it is the process by which David Cameron’s government came to hold that fateful referendum that may provide a template for why and how the UK might re-join. By retracing the steps that led to the referendum gamble, it is possible to understand the process that leads to policy change of this magnitude.