This paper investigates how British political leaders framed the relationship between the UK and the EU during the Brexit referendum campaign, and in the months that followed the decision to leave the EU (2015-2017). The goal of this article is twofold: to identity the predominant frames used by different political parties at both UK and European Parliaments (Semetko and Valkenburg 2000; Boydstun, et al 2014), and to assess the extent to which such frames might have influenced public attitudes towards the EU. This paper uses a mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach to shed light on the use and impact of specific frames during referendum campaigns. Data stem from political speeches made by British political leaders between May 2015 and December 2017, media databases (Factiva) and opinion polls. Preliminary results indicate that the position occupied by political parties (mainstream or fringe), target audience and potential media coverage largely influenced the framing of UK-EU relations and contributed to mobilise traditionally disengaged voters.
