One thing we can conclude from Brexit, Trump et al is a complete lack of faith in government. With people shifting far right, or far left, depending on where their starting point was. So you're probably dead right about that government scrapping referendum result.
Seems to me that everything we're seeing is a result of this big wave of populous nonsense, polluting social media. Whether that be about vaccines, flat earth, or politics. People want to believe simple lies, rather than complex truths.