--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy…" description: "\"Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty.\" — Steve Hilton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg" --- # Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty. ![“Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty.” quote by Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg) > “Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty.” [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Brexit is framed as a struggle for democratic control and national sovereignty. **In simple terms:** Brexit centers on democracy and sovereignty. Key Takeaway Consider the balance of autonomy and cooperation. Themes politics democracy sovereignty Mood analytical serious Type political analytical When to use this quote - elections - policy debates - public discourse Key Concepts nationalism self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How does sovereignty intersect with global interdependence? A Different Perspective Complex realities may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brexit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brexit/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Sovereignty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sovereignty/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that sovereignty is the twin sister of democracy. If there's no sovereignty, there's no democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/i-believe-that-sovereignty-is-the-twin-sister-of-democracy-if-there-s/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [I live in Europe and care about democracy and sovereignty of nation states there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/i-live-in-europe-and-care-about-democracy-and-sovereignty-of-nation/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [Statistics are the heart of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simeon-strunsky/statistics-are-the-heart-of-democracy/) [Simeon Strunsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simeon-strunsky/) > [Equality as a principle is at the heart of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raja-krishnamoorthi/equality-as-a-principle-is-at-the-heart-of-our-democracy/) [Raja Krishnamoorthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raja-krishnamoorthi/) > [A mature society understands that at the heart of democracy is argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-mature-society-understands-that-at-the-heart-of-democracy-is/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The library is central to our free society. It is a critical element in the free exchange of information at the heart of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vartan-gregorian/the-library-is-central-to-our-free-society-it-is-a-critical-element/) [Vartan Gregorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vartan-gregorian/) > [Brexit is an immensely complex national challenge encompassing issues from sovereignty and trade to security in an increasingly interdependent world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/brexit-is-an-immensely-complex-national-challenge-encompassing-issues/) [Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/) > [Given the right to - given the opportunity to vote, I voted for Brexit because I've never approved really of the European Union, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/given-the-right-to-given-the-opportunity-to-vote-i-voted-for-brexit/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [You see it with Brexit, you see it in Donald Trump's election, you see it with the fact that neither of the main parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-see-it-with-brexit-you-see-it-in-donald-trump-s-election-you-see/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The entire debate around a 'No Deal' Brexit assigns a vastly overstated importance to the role of government in daily life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-entire-debate-around-a-no-deal-brexit-assigns-a-vastly-overstated/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The important thing with Facebook is to remember that it played a role in facilitating Brexit because it inadvertently allowed leave-supporting groups to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nish-kumar/the-important-thing-with-facebook-is-to-remember-that-it-played-a/) [Nish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nish-kumar/) > [The argument that won the Brexit campaign is the one that said take back control... which is another way of saying we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-timmermans/the-argument-that-won-the-brexit-campaign-is-the-one-that-said-take/) [Frans Timmermans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-timmermans/) > [No one voted for a Brexit that will tie us to the E.U.'s customs rules and prevent us striking meaningful trade deals of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-johnson/no-one-voted-for-a-brexit-that-will-tie-us-to-the-e-u-s-customs-rules/) [Jo Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-johnson/) > [And after Brexit, we will be free to determine our economic future, with control over our money, laws and borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/and-after-brexit-we-will-be-free-to-determine-our-economic-future/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [No-deal Brexit could be Boris Johnson's biggest deception yet - worse than the Boris bus or the lies that had him sacked as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/no-deal-brexit-could-be-boris-johnson-s-biggest-deception-yet-worse/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) ## More by Steve Hilton > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [We must not let the panicky Wall Street wheeler-dealers and the Trump-hating establishment state media talk us into a recession. We must keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/we-must-not-let-the-panicky-wall-street-wheeler-dealers-and-the-trump/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [After Trump, it will be a different Republican party... and for American workers, families, and communities, that is fantastic news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/after-trump-it-will-be-a-different-republican-party-and-for-american/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [There's an ideological belief on the left that you should not use nonpartisan tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/there-s-an-ideological-belief-on-the-left-that-you-should-not-use/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Straight out of college, I worked at the Conservative Party but that was just a couple of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/straight-out-of-college-i-worked-at-the-conservative-party-but-that/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Even when they are trying to deceive the voters, the Democrats are incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/even-when-they-are-trying-to-deceive-the-voters-the-democrats-are/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [I don't really care much about what the top one per cent earn. The gap we ought to care about in wealth is between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/i-don-t-really-care-much-about-what-the-top-one-per-cent-earn-the-gap/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The idea that Donald Trump committed an abuse of power by bringing politics into a foreign relationship is a joke. They all do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-idea-that-donald-trump-committed-an-abuse-of-power-by-bringing/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The most important thing about a candidate is not their promises - those hardly ever get delivered anyway. It's about how they would respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-most-important-thing-about-a-candidate-is-not-their-promises/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Membership of the E.U. makes Britain literally ungovernable, in the sense that no administration elected by the people can govern the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/membership-of-the-e-u-makes-britain-literally-ungovernable-in-the/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Our democracies are increasingly captured by a ruling class that seeks to perpetuate its privileges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/our-democracies-are-increasingly-captured-by-a-ruling-class-that/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Establishment idiots say the Trump tax cuts only helped the rich. Don't they understand anything about economics?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/establishment-idiots-say-the-trump-tax-cuts-only-helped-the-rich-don/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The Democrats are up to their necks in foreign meddling. Nancy Pelosi took money from Ukraine lobbyists. Chuck Schumer took money from Saudi Arabia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-democrats-are-up-to-their-necks-in-foreign-meddling-nancy-pelosi/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Leaving the E.U. enables the U.K. to be more engaged with the global economy, not just the European economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/leaving-the-e-u-enables-the-u-k-to-be-more-engaged-with-the-global/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) [Explore all 100 Steve Hilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) ## More Brexit quotes > [No-deal Brexit could be Boris Johnson's biggest deception yet - worse than the Boris bus or the lies that had him sacked as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/no-deal-brexit-could-be-boris-johnson-s-biggest-deception-yet-worse/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [And after Brexit, we will be free to determine our economic future, with control over our money, laws and borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/and-after-brexit-we-will-be-free-to-determine-our-economic-future/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [No one voted for a Brexit that will tie us to the E.U.'s customs rules and prevent us striking meaningful trade deals of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-johnson/no-one-voted-for-a-brexit-that-will-tie-us-to-the-e-u-s-customs-rules/) [Jo Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-johnson/) > [The argument that won the Brexit campaign is the one that said take back control... which is another way of saying we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-timmermans/the-argument-that-won-the-brexit-campaign-is-the-one-that-said-take/) [Frans Timmermans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-timmermans/) > [The audience for facts, evidence and research about microtargeting, Facebook and Brexit is tiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/the-audience-for-facts-evidence-and-research-about-microtargeting/) [Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/) > [I am a passionate, pragmatic, and positive believer in Brexit, and with my three-step plan, we can decisively leave the E.U.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-leadsom/i-am-a-passionate-pragmatic-and-positive-believer-in-brexit-and-with/) [Andrea Leadsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-leadsom/) > [The important thing with Facebook is to remember that it played a role in facilitating Brexit because it inadvertently allowed leave-supporting groups to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nish-kumar/the-important-thing-with-facebook-is-to-remember-that-it-played-a/) [Nish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nish-kumar/) > [Brexit has always been an impossible project, except at the price of massive self-harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/brexit-has-always-been-an-impossible-project-except-at-the-price-of/) [Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/) > [Whatever happens with Brexit, what I am absolutely convinced will not happen is that free movement of individuals, free movement of people, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/whatever-happens-with-brexit-what-i-am-absolutely-convinced-will-not/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [I think one of the laughable things about poor old Brexit is that they're so cross - they're furious with everyone. But this isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/i-think-one-of-the-laughable-things-about-poor-old-brexit-is-that/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [Brexit has really broken a taboo. The Brits have shown us that you can leave the European Union, and you can come out better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/brexit-has-really-broken-a-taboo-the-brits-have-shown-us-that-you-can/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [People are rightly concerned about what Brexit will mean for the country, for their jobs and for their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/people-are-rightly-concerned-about-what-brexit-will-mean-for-the/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) > [Brexit is not, thankfully, a question of war. But, like Iraq, Brexit is an act of unprovoked self-harm and a massive strategic mistake that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/brexit-is-not-thankfully-a-question-of-war-but-like-iraq-brexit-is-an/) [Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-adonis-baron-adonis/) > [I'll keep fighting for the best, most successful Brexit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-raab/i-ll-keep-fighting-for-the-best-most-successful-brexit/) [Dominic Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-raab/) > [The skills necessary to change nappies or negotiate Brexit are obviously very different, but both involve a great deal of trust in the competence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/the-skills-necessary-to-change-nappies-or-negotiate-brexit-are/) [Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/) [Browse all 412 Brexit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brexit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Hilton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy-and-sovereignty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brexit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy-and-sovereignty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/steve-hilton-5697_brexit_brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy_1831714.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Brexit was, at its heart, about democracy and sovereignty.” — Steve Hilton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steve Hilton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Brexit was, at its heart, about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy-and-sovereignty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/brexit-was-at-its-heart-about-democracy-and-sovereignty/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```