Leeds voted to remain in the EU

We were the only Yorkshire constituencies to reject Brexit


Leeds was one of the only places in Yorkshire to vote to remain in the EU in last Thursday’s referendum.

Residents voted by a narrow margin of 50.31 per cent in favour of Remain, despite other Yorkshire cities such as Sheffield and Bradford backing a Leave vote.

York and Harrogate were two of the only other Yorkshire locations to back Remain.

Doncaster was Yorkshire’s most pro-Brexit constituency, with 68.96 per cent of voters backing Leave.


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Across the country, however, other large cosmopolitan cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester also voted to Remain.

Leeds was one of Yorkshire’s only Remain votes, although only by a narrow margin of 0.31 per cent – compared to Manchester’s 10.3 per cent lead and York’s eight per cent margin.

Earlier this week, Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn was sacked by Jeremy Corbyn for his alleged involvement in a leadership coup.

In the wake of the referendum, Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake said: “It’s very clear to me that one of the elements in the vote to leave was the disillusionment and dissatisfaction with a remote national political elite, and decisions being made in London that have a profound effect on places like Leeds and the North as a whole.

“I think this reaffirms our determination to get more resources and more powers.”

Blake also voiced concerns about “millions of pounds” of EU university funding which could be lost due to Brexit.


Some counties and London boroughs have been omitted