IN 2016 CASTLE POINT, WHICH INCLUDES CANVEY ISLAND, VOTED 73% TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION. EIGHT YEARS ON, HOW DO LOCAL RESIDENTS FEEL ABOUT LIFE ON CANVEY ISLAND, THEIR FUTURE AND HOW BREXIT HAS CHANGED THEIR SENSE OF NATIONAL AND CANVEY COMMUNITY IDENTITIES?

Canvey Island sits at the outer edge of Essex yet is within commuting distance of London. It has a reputation for being a tightly-knit loyal community. In 2026, Canvey Island, voted 78% to leave the EU. It was one of the highest leave voting areas in Britain.

Brexit Island

A great deal has happened since the 2016 referendum in the UK, with many social, financial and geopolitical issues tangled up in the post-Brexit debate. This research explores the ways in which events of the past eight years have influenced how Canvey residents feel about the impact of Brexit on Canvey Island today.

The research was carried out only a few months before the general election of 2024. It asks how residents feel about the incumbent Conservative government’s handling of leaving the European Union and what they could have done differently to maximise any of the promised benefits of Brexit.

Brexit Island

Shingle Street

Portland

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