“I would hope that if Britain decides to vote, it sends a clear signal to the European Commission and other European leaders that they cannot continue with business as usual or the British exit may be repeated elsewhere,” Fox stated.
On June 23, the United Kingdom will vote on whether to remain part of the European Union or reestablish sovereignty. Supporters of UK exit from the bloc, or Brexit, argue that EU membership has eroded Britain’s independence to make laws, direct its economy and control its borders. Opponents warn that leaving the EU could deeply harm the country’s economy.
“The assumption has been, from the European bureaucracy, that effectively it can continue the blueprint that was set down in the 1950s toward this concept of ever-closer union without there being huge electoral implications,” Fox explained.
In recent European elections, Euroskeptics have won significant parliamentary seats in France, Germany, Poland as well as in the United Kingdom. Euroskeptics are generally more nationalistic and either critical or deeply opposed to further EU integration.