232 * A draft version of this paper was originally presented by ColinYeo as part of the Refugee Law Initiative’ s 8th International Refugee Law Seminar Series. With thanks also to Ala Al-Mahadi for his contribution to this research. 1 Ipsos Mori (2016). Online: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/4-ways-anti-immigration-vote-won-referendum- brexit. 2 Ipsos Mori (2016). Online: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/immigration-now-top-issue-voters-eu-referendum; House of Commons Home Affairs Committee (2018) ‘Immigration Policy: Basis for Building Consensus’ Second Report of Session 2017–19: 7. The Impact of Brexit on UK Asylum Law Colin Yeo and Susan Reardon-Smith* At a glance Given that the Brexit campaign drew heavily on public opinion and concern around immigration, and coincided with the European Union’ s (EU) ‘refugee crisis’ – a time in which immigration and asylum issues were regularly conflated in the political and public debate – the virtual silence of the UK Government since the 2016 referendum on the impact that Brexit will have on UK asylum law is notable. This impact is not straightforward, and may not align with the ‘Leave Campaign’ s’ promises or rhetoric, given the convoluted nature of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), and the varied, and perhaps unintended, consequences that withdrawal from this system may have. This paper unpacks the wide-ranging implications that Brexit may have on UK asylum law, both in terms of the UK’ s future interaction with the CEAS (and processes such as the Dublin Regulation, and external migration management), and the broader regional and international laws related to asylum that continue to bind the UK. We argue that, despite the perhaps surprising result of the referendum, that Brexit should be viewed in light of the historical and ongoing context of UK exceptionalism, particularly in matters of immigration and asylum. We point to the contradictions of this stance in an increasingly interconnected world, and suggest that the UK will most likely be required to maintain EU standards in order to retain the benefits of regional cooperation in asylum matters. Of course, this hardly seems the intended outcome of the politically-charged Brexit campaign intended to ‘take back control’. Introduction: Brexit and UK exceptionalism The current context of the United Kingdom’ s (UK) departure (‘Brexit’) from the European Union (EU) has created immense uncertainty for both the UK’ s future and its future relations with the EU.While Brexit negotiations are ongoing, and the process will take some time to gain form, it is both interesting and important to map out where possible the potential impacts of Brexit on different arenas of law and practice. Immigration is generally recognised as one of the deciding factors in the 2016 Brexit referendum, 1 with opinion polls consistently placing it in the top two issues for voters. 2