The Night the UK Dumped the EU
🎈On the night of June 23rd, 2016, Brexit marked the first-ever breakup in European Union history. After more than 40 years together in an emotional and dramatic turn, the UK dumped 27 member states all at once. Ouch.
🎤Even Michel Barnier, former Brexit negotiator and now the French Prime Minister, has likened it to a painful breakup. But this wasn’t just about a fractured relationship—it set off a cascade of complex geopolitical negotiations, reshaping international dynamics and affecting lives on both sides of the Channel.
🎧 Tune in as we explore with you the tensions, the deals, and the lasting impact of that historic night.
Our guests (in order of appearances):
Maxime Calligaro - Married to an English woman, Maxime is a Renew Policy adviser at the EU Parliament by day and a co-screenwriter of the TV show Parliament, depicting the life of an EU parliamentary assistant during Brexit, by night. After rarely agreeing with the UK on the job, he became pro-Brexit even if of course he could not vote.
Chloé Linklater was a fresh-faced 18-year-old at the time of the vote and was casting her first ever ballot. She was a staunch remain voter and she and her friends were shocked and upset when they discovered their country had voted to leave the European Union instead.
Rob Murray - Rob worked as a polling clerk the night of the referendum and was right in the centre of the action as he ensured all was well at his local ballot station. He was also a supporter of remaining in the EU and campaigned for some time after the Leave vote, advocating for rejoining the EU or calling for a second referendum.
Brian Reynolds is a union representative from Scotland who campaigned for LEXIT, the exit of the Left from the EU. Dubbing the union a ‘neoliberal capitalist’ institution, he wanted to leave to protect UK public services, and to promote all workers’ rights in the country.
Catherine Bennett is a Franco-British journalist. For her, Brexit meant more than just extra steps when travelling between the two countries, she also had to apply for French nationality in order to stay and work in Paris.
Jonathan Smith is a Brexit-voting farmer from West Oxfordshire. For him, voting Brexit was about standing against the EU’s policies on agriculture which he felt were unfairly distributed across member states and had a negative impact on agriculture in the UK.
Pr. Anand Menon - Teaching European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London, he is also the director of the think tank ‘UK in a Changing Europe’ which provides information about UK-EU relations. Always invited as a third guest, he acted as a referee in the media during Brexit and still does.
Nicolas Galudec was a member of the European Commission’s task force negotiating Brexit under Michel Barnier. He was specially mandated to ensure the respect of EVERY 27 member states’ interests within the process.
Ambassador Christopher Prentice - An EU believer forever! Former UK Ambassador to Italy from 2011 to 2016, Christopher foreshadowed what was about to unfold and has thrived to exorcise his Brexit ghosts ever since.
🎙️ This episode was written, recorded, edited and produced by Candice Fleurance, Gabrielle Nadler and Lorna Petty, under the supervision of Lorraine Besse.
💡 #upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume
🎵 Music : @theo.boulenger
🎨 Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios
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