It is entirely possible that Britain could leave the European Union within the next decade.

The prospect of a referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union was a recurring theme in 2012. Ahead of David Cameron’s speech on Europe, Iain Begg assessed recent developments on Britain’s future relationship with Europe. He argues that current trends are making a British exit from the EU more likely, and that even if the country maintains EU membership, its relationship with other member states will be far from straightforward.