Brexit Diaries #6: Watford (February 1, 2020)

Watford - Situated just outside Greater London, from an administrative point of view, but still within the M26 boundaries, from a socio-demographical one, Watford would be a totally unknown city if weren’t for its football team and for the Harry Potter studios. By looking at the results of the 2016 Referendum, it was one of the most divided constituencies: Leave won with less than 1% margin over Remain. An unexpected result if we consider that the city has been ruled for seventeen years by the Liberal Democrats, the most pro-European party among those sitting in the British parliament.

Indeed, Lib Dems have suffered a crisis along these past years; since they entered government thanks to the 23% of the vote they received in the 2015 general election, their electoral support has been reduced to 11% due the Euroscepticism and the democratic souverainism that has been spreading around the UK in the last years. I hope that this democratic souverainism won’t make Britain forget that it once was the fatherland of liberalism.

Follow a European Generation member Gioele Giussani as he travels to London in the first days after the United Kingdom exited the European Union. What are his impressions of post-Brexit London? How do Londoners and other Europeans feel about entering this new era? Read more from this series to find out.