All Quiet on the Brexit Front? UK Civil Society Before and After the UK’s Referendum on Membership of the EU

Brexit raises questions and fears about the future shape of European politics. The roles and deeds of political parties, the official referendum campaigning groups and the media before the vote in June 2016 have all been the subject of analysis. Yet the role of civil society during and since the referendum campaign has not been the subject of much discussion. The absence of different types of civil society groups from the debate about the referendum is understandable given their relative silence during the campaign. Yet there has been a noteworthy rise in civil society activities aimed at stopping and/or shaping the process of the UK’s exit from the EU (Brexit) since the vote. For this reason, a closer look at the subject seems warranted to contribute to a fuller picture of this crucial referendum, and to reflect on how UK civil society may provide some response to the rise of right-wing populist tropes in the country. This piece gives an overview of UK civil society during and after the referendum, and advance possible explanations for the trajectory that emerges. Organised civil society groups remained muted during the referendum campaign, and lobbied the government after. Social movement organisations were generally absent during the referendum campaign, but new groups and actions emerged after the vote. The emergence of the latter suggests that Brexit may be the moment when the UK finally develops a pro-EU civil society sector that may contribute to future EU-UK relations.