ABSTRACT
From 2012 onward, the world has seen an ongoing surge in majoritarian nationalist sentiment, including in the UK and India. In the UK, nationalism manifested itself through a sense of colonial nostalgia: a longing for lost power and the desire to reconnect with its former empire. The power of colonial nostalgia became particularly apparent through the Brexit referendum in 2016. The referendum passed 52–48 per cent. It was primarily supported by the United Kingdom Independence Party and portions of the governing Conservative Party. Following the referendum, this nostalgia led the UK to reach out to India by arguing that the two states should reconnect, based on their shared history, their strong people-to-people and diaspora links and a newfound shared belief in free trade. This discourse began under the prime ministership of David Cameron and it intensified under the post-referendum leadership of Theresa May.
