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Australia’s republican movement says membership has surged in the wake of the Brexit vote, as Australians question the benefits of being part of “little Britain”.

An “AusExit” campaign, including calls to remove the Union Jack from the flag and replace the Queen as head of state, has gained momentum in recent days.

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Peter FitzSimons, the chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, said the country had belonged to the British empire, but historic ties between the nations had become less relevant because “Great Britain barely exists anymore.”

“It’s one thing for the monarchists to say ‘we should be staying so very closely aligned to Great Britain’ but how do you feel about staying so closely aligned to little Britain?” he told ABC Radio.

“From the moment that Brexit came through, social media came alive, with people saying ‘this is ridiculous, let us be our own people, let us get away from this’.”