logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2019
52m 10s

392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
In 2016, David Cameron held a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the European Union. A longtime Euroskeptic, he nevertheless led the Remain campaign. So what did Cameron really want? We ask him that and much more — including why he left office as soon as his side lost and what he’d do differently if given another chance. (Hint: not much.) 
Up next
Jul 17
Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update)
Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode. SOURC ... Show More
1h 5m
Jul 14
How a Great Architect Thinks, with Bjarke Ingels | Better in Person
Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Pod ... Show More
43m 27s
Jul 9
681. How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick Cavett
Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. SOURCES: Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host. RESOURCES: Eye on ... Show More
43m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2019
Brexit Explored: A Conversation with Dr Imran Waheed
@thinking_muslimFor over three years, Britain’s political establishment and much of the country has been in, what can only described as political meltdown. The 2016 referendum called by David Cameron resulted in the extraordinary outcome to leave the EU, despite all political pre ... Show More
1 h
Jun 2021
How to spin a referendum: The inside story of the Brexit campaign
In a special episode marking the fifth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, Jack Blanchard interviews the two men behind the crucial spin campaigns for Leave and Remain. In a rare interview, Paul Stephenson, director of communications for Vote Leave, reflects on the often-contro ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2016
Does the EU Have a Future?
What does the UK leaving the EU say about the strength of the organisation going forward? Can it perhaps accomplish more with a reluctant partner gone? Or is the ambition of ever-closer political and economic union doomed? Owen Bennett Jones is in Brussels with a panel of Europea ... Show More
49m 41s
Mar 2016
S02-EP08 Jeremy Cliffe of the Economist on Brexit, the future of the UK and the fate of David Cameron.
Is Donald Trump or Ted Cruz the real ideologue? What would Brexit mean for the future of the UK? And why is Cambridge so different from Peterborough? We talk the EU referendum with Jeremy Cliffe, who writes the hugely influential Bagehot column on British politics for the Economi ... Show More
56m 13s
Jul 2022
What impact has Brexit had on the UK’s economy?
In 2016 Britain voted to leave the European Union. There were warnings that pulling away from the largest trade bloc in the world would be damaging to the UK’s finances. Those that campaigned for Brexit argued it would offer the UK self-determination and the freedom to forge its ... Show More
24m 7s
Nov 2022
Boris Johnson | Leave Means Leave | 3
Boris has never been more popular as he leads the successful Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum. He couldn't be in a stronger position to become Prime Minister...until an old ally turns into an adversary. But when new PM Theresa May gives him a surprise top cabinet job, ... Show More
50m 18s