Appeasing Eurosceptics? What’s really going on when Britain votes No in the Council of the EU

Those campaigning for a Leave vote in the EU referendum often state that the UK has never been on the winning side when it has voted against a proposal in the Council of the European Union. Remain campaigners, however, have responded by arguing that agreements are made by consensus in the Council and that the UK has a strong influence. Sara Hagemann, Sara Hobolt and Christopher Wratil (left to right) write that in reality, votes against a proposal in the Council act largely as signals to a government’s domestic audience, and this explains why UK governments have voted against proposals more than other member states.