LONDON (AP) — British history has become a Brexit battleground.

British voters' decision three years ago to split from the European Union was fueled by a sense that the U.K. is fundamentally separate from its continental neighbors — a sceptered isle, rather than a European power.

That patriotic message strikes a strong chord in an era of surging nationalism. But anti-Brexit politicians and historians say it's too simplistic and could end up making the U.K. weaker rather than stronger.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown argued Sunday that "a destructive, populist, nationalist ideology" was leaving the U.K. "sleepwalking into oblivion."

Follow Jill Lawless on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit