Winchester, a British town steeped in history dating back to King Alfred, is famed for boasting Europe’s largest cathedral and one of the UK country’s oldest boarding schools.
In June 2016, its residents voted by 58% to remain in the European Union. But like most parts of the United Kingdom, Winchester is still split on what path to take from here.
In the shadows of the cathedral, Jack Briggs, 60, a consultant, tells CNN that he and his wife voted to leave. It was about “getting control back on legislation, and border controls,” says Briggs, who was raised in upstate New York but is now a British citizen.
“We will be better off in the long run,” Briggs says, though he admits there will be a rocky patch to navigate first. “Maybe holding a second referendum wouldn’t be so bad, but from a democratic point of view, we are bound to stay the course.”
Ian, a 29-year-old who works in IT for the local council and voted to remain, says “the idea of a soft Brexit is totally ridiculous – you are either in or you are out.”
“If you are part of it, you need to be part of everything.”
On the issue of Britain’s position within the EU, he adds: “we hold more power than people realise. We have just given up our power, and that is a bit of a shame.”
Last week, Steve Brine, the MP for Winchester, quit his post as a government minister to back parliament taking control of Brexit.
Having spent last week reporting from Kingston, Bath, North East Somerset and now Winchester, one thing is increasingly clear to me: these areas may have voted to remain, but there is growing sentiment that people want Westminster to get on with making a decision.
