ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ways in which political discourse during the campaign of the referendum on Britain’s EU membership was predominantly based on an exclusive, negative conception of negative identity alongside a strong populist dimension that also infiltrated voters’ perceptions of the mainstream debate. Analysis of public opinion data derived from a panel study conducted by the LSE ECREP initiative and Opinium during the 23 June 2016 referendum campaign reveals that discourse reminiscent of ideology based on negative conceptions of identity and consistent populist themes in particular permeated the mainstream political discourse and indeed public perceptions.
