Matthew Elliott’s New Book Dissects the Accidental Rise of Brexit
In his memoir, former Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott argues that Brexit resulted from a series of political missteps and personal quirks rather than a coordinated right-wing agenda.
Ten Years On: The Untold Story of Brexit, written by former Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott, offers a candid look at how a cascade of strategic blunders and individual personalities paved the way for the UK's departure from the EU. Elliott describes David Cameron’s decision to call a referendum as a desperate gamble born of coalition fatigue and Tory infighting, and notes that the absence of a pro-EU Labour leader like Jeremy Corbyn helped the Leave side.
He credits Boris Johnson’s celebrity appeal, Dominic Cummings’s data-driven tactics and the grassroots energy of groups such as the Taxpayers’ Alliance for delivering the vote. The narrative also touches on the chaotic post-referendum period, marked by seven different prime ministers, the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer, and the continued jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. Throughout, Elliott maintains that Brexit was a populist victory but not the right-wing version many assume, emphasizing the role of accidental circumstance over ideology.
Why it matters
The book reshapes understanding of Brexit, showing how political errors, not ideology, drove a historic shift.
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