The LSE Commission on the Future of Britain in Europe aimed to inform the national debate on Britain’s membership of the European Union, with high quality, evidence-based and balanced analysis.
Its purpose was to meet the public need for reliable information in the run-up to the national referendum.
The work of the Commission concentrated on a series of expert hearings convened by LSE academics. Participants included senior British and EU public officials, policy practitioners, academics, think tanks, journalists and business representatives.
The hearings examined “negotiation issues”, the options for a reconfigured UK-EU relationship and the wider impact of a Brexit on the UK, as well as on the EU as a whole.
The convenors’ reports of their individual hearings contributed to a final report setting out an overall assessment of the case for continued British EU membership or a Brexit. You can read a summary of the report here and each report here.
The Commission was coordinated by Professor Iain Begg of the LSE European Institute.
Join the discussion on the Future of Britain in Europe on Twitter using: #LSEBrexit
Posts by Commission participants
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Ever Closer Union -- neither a goal nor an aspiration, but a process
"Ever Closer Union" is frequently seen as an almost metaphysical aspiration with little political substance; or alternatively as a categorical imperative for the creation a ...more
Troubles redux: Brexit would put the Good Friday Agreement in jeopardy
A Brexit - which is very unlikely to reflect majority opinion in Northern Ireland - could profoundly destabilise the the Good Friday Agreement, argues Brendan Donnelly. ...more
Britain's departure from “Ever Closer Union” is of great significance
The expression “ever closer union” remains a driving force of European integration of the federalist kind, writes Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, who took part in the expert proceedings on ...more
From devolution to revolution? Brexit threatens to stir up the UK’s regional politics
Decision-makers in Scotland and Wales await the outcome of the UK’s EU referendum with trepidation. Since their powers were introduced in the late 1990s, the ...more
What is an 'ever-closer union'?
The preamble to the Treaty of Rome (1957), the international agreement that was the beginning of the EU, says that the signatories are "determined to ...more
A vote to leave the EU may have a detrimental impact on Parliament
What will life be like in the UK House of Commons and House of Lords if the UK leaves the EU? And if it is ...more
Do Britons and other Europeans disagree on policy issues? The answer might surprise you
Eurosceptics in the UK and elsewhere often argue that the EU subverts democracy by forcing countries with different values and economic systems to follow the ...more
European rights: there is no going backwards
There is a mismatch between anticipated European rights and the reality. British citizens are weary of externally imposed human rights standards, yet expect their basic ...more
Turn out or else: do referendum campaigns actually change voters' minds?
Over £9m has been spent on leaflets for all British household outlining the arguments in favour of remaining in the EU. But do campaign activities ...more
It's time for two Europes: rethinking the EU with Britain in it
Britain’s departure from the European Union would be a disaster for the UK, and an even greater one for the EU. A Brexit could have ...more