Both inside and outside the UK, Brexit has been predominantly framed as a reactionary backlash; a rejection of the progressive values that many associate with the EU. In her address to the IIEA, Claire Fox MEP argues that, despite immigration being an influential factor, the decision to leave the European Union was deeply rooted in a historical commitment to the sovereignty of the people, and a firm belief that politicians should not be able to ‘outsource accountability’.
About the Speaker:
Claire Fox is the elected Brexit Party member of the European Parliament for North West England and the director and founder of the Academy of Ideas, an organisation established to create a public space where ideas can be contested without constraint. She convenes the yearly Battle of Ideas festival and initiated the Debating Matters Competition for sixth-formers. She also co-founded a residential summer school, The Academy, with the aim to demonstrate ‘university as it should be’. Claire is author of a book on free speech, recently republished as I STILL Find That Offensive! (Biteback, 2018), and No Strings Attached! Why arts funding should say no to instrumentalism (Arts&Business, 2007).
