The Meaning of Brexit and the Future of the Union

Delivered by the most outstanding academics in the UK and beyond, the British Academy’s flagship Lecture Programme showcases the very best scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. This event is part of the Elie Kedourie Memorial Lecture Series on modern history and politics.

The United Kingdom has left the European Union, but connections with the bloc remain live and active. In this lecture Professor David Reynolds FBA, Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Cambridge, explores some of the issues that are still not fully resolved, such as border policies (the Channel crossing, Northern Ireland) and the UK’s relationships with its European neighbours. Professor Reynolds also considers the failure of successive governments in London to face up to the implications of devolution since the late 1990s and reflects briefly on the future of the other Union – the EU – in the era of Brexit and Putin.

Speaker: Professor David Reynolds FBA, Emeritus Professor of International History at Cambridge University

David Reynolds is Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is the presenter of various TV and radio documentaries and author of fourteen books – including In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War (2004 - Wolfson Prize); The Long Shadow: The Great War and the 20th Century (2014 - Hessell-Tiltman Prize); Island Stories: Britain and its History in the Age of Brexit (2019); and Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders Who Shaped Him (October 2023).

Free, booking required

This event includes a reception for all attendees after the lecture.

This event will take place in person in partnership QUB University. If you have any questions about this event please email [email protected].

Image credits: View on Belfast harbour and docks with large yellow crane, Northern Ireland, Getty Images.