Brexit and parliamentary sovereignty : the Europeanisation of the House of Commons and MPs' rising role conflicts

Abstract

The causes of Brexit are usually analysed from the viewpoint of the domestic factors that led to the outcome of the 2016 referendum. In contrast, this article examines whether the impact of European integration on the United Kingdom’s parliamentary democracy can be used to help understand the context in which the debates about the UK’s departure from in the EU took place. Applying an interpretive sociological approach and analysing interviews with MPs in the House of Commons’ European scrutiny system and parliamentary reports, the author finds that MPs’ role conflicts have risen in three phases since 1992. Procedural adaptations have helped MPs play their deliberative role better, but they have also exposed important limitations for other traditional legitimation logics. The findings point to the need for further studies on the impact of European decision-making on domestic democratic practices, both to better understand the context of Brexit and to create more resilient democratic institutions in the EU.