diff --git a/app/assets/sass/components/multi-select.scss b/app/assets/sass/components/multi-select.scss
index 22041882d..1b1a09d7b 100644
--- a/app/assets/sass/components/multi-select.scss
+++ b/app/assets/sass/components/multi-select.scss
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@
   -webkit-appearance: none;
   appearance: none;
   max-width: 100%;
-
-  display: block;
   cursor: pointer;
 
   div {
@@ -47,48 +45,37 @@
   }
 }
 
-.multi-select-dropdown{
+.multi-select-dropdown {
   @extend .govuk-clearfix;
-
   top: 0;
   left: 0;
   background-color: govuk-colour("white");
   z-index: 10;
   position: absolute;
   border: 2px solid $govuk-text-colour;
-  box-sizing: border-box;
   width: 100%;
   font-size: 16px;
 
+  .multi-select-close-button {
+    min-height: 34px;
+    width: 100%;
+    margin-bottom: 0;
+  }
+
   .multi-select-dropdown-inner-container {
+    padding: 10px 5px;
     overflow-y: scroll;
     overflow-x: hidden;
+
+    .govuk-checkboxes__item {
+      label {
+        width: 100%;
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   &:focus {
     outline: 3px solid $govuk-focus-colour;
     outline-offset: 0;
   }
-
-  .multi-select-dropdown-close-area {
-    width: 15%;
-    top: 0;
-    right: 13px;
-    position: absolute;
-    z-index: 14;
-    height: 100%;
-    background-image: url("/public/images/dd-arrow.svg");
-    background-repeat: no-repeat;
-    background-position: right -4px top 6px;
-  }
-
-  .govuk-checkboxes__item {
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: start;
-    text-align: left;
-    cursor: pointer;
-    input {
-      z-index: 12;
-    }
-  }
 }
diff --git a/app/browsered/multi-select.js b/app/browsered/multi-select.js
index 5f09a9a86..521e0003b 100644
--- a/app/browsered/multi-select.js
+++ b/app/browsered/multi-select.js
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-'use strict'
 // TODO: we should probably do some browser testing in this project to prove this all works as intended
 
 const multiSelect = require('../views/includes/multi-select.njk')
@@ -6,15 +5,13 @@ const multiSelect = require('../views/includes/multi-select.njk')
 // Polyfills introduced as a temporary fix to make Smoketests pass. See PP-3489
 require('./polyfills')
 
-// Variables
 const MAXIMUM_VISIBLE_ITEMS = 8.5 // Maximum amount of items to show in dropdown
 const MINIMUM_VISIBLE_ITEMS = 3.5 // Minimum amount of items to show in dropdown (assuming total is larger than this value)
 
-// Selectors
 const ENHANCEMENT_SELECTOR = [...document.querySelectorAll('select[data-enhance-multiple]')]
 const TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR = '.multi-select'
 const OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR = '.multi-select-title'
-const CLOSE_BUTTON_SELECTOR = '.multi-select-dropdown-close-area'
+const CLOSE_BUTTON_SELECTOR = '.multi-select-close-button'
 const DROPDOWN_SELECTOR = '.multi-select-dropdown'
 const SCROLL_CONTAINER_SELECTOR = '.multi-select-dropdown-inner-container'
 const ITEM_SELECTOR = '.govuk-checkboxes__input'
@@ -56,11 +53,24 @@ function progressivelyEnhanceSelects () {
     const dropdown = [...newMultiSelect.querySelectorAll(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)][0]
     const scrollContainer = [...newMultiSelect.querySelectorAll(SCROLL_CONTAINER_SELECTOR)][0]
 
+    // close if user clicks outside the dropdown
+    document.addEventListener('click', (event) => {
+      const dropdowns = document.querySelectorAll(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)
+      dropdowns.forEach(dropdown => {
+        if (!dropdown.contains(event.target) &&
+          !event.target.closest(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR)) {
+          dropdown.style.visibility = 'hidden'
+          dropdown.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR)
+            .querySelector(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR)
+            .setAttribute('aria-expanded', false)
+        }
+      })
+    }, false)
+
     openButton.addEventListener('click', onOpenButtonClick, false)
-    closeButton.addEventListener('click', onCloseAreaClick, false)
+    closeButton.addEventListener('click', onCloseButtonClick, false)
     items.forEach(item => {
       item.addEventListener('change', onItemChange, false)
-      item.addEventListener('blur', onItemBlur, false)
     })
     const itemHeight = ([...items].map(item => item.parentNode.offsetHeight).reduce((sum, value) => sum + value) / items.length)
     const maxVisibleItems = Math.min(Math.floor(((window.innerHeight - openButton.getBoundingClientRect().top) / itemHeight) - 0.5) + 0.5, MAXIMUM_VISIBLE_ITEMS)
@@ -92,29 +102,30 @@ const closeMultiSelectOnEscapeKeypress = function () {
   }
 }
 
-const onItemBlur = event => {
-  const dropdown = event.target.closest(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)
-  setTimeout(() => {
-    if ([...dropdown.querySelectorAll(`${ITEM_SELECTOR}:focus`)].length <= 0) {
-      dropdown.style.visibility = 'hidden'
-      dropdown.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelector(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR).setAttribute('aria-expanded', false)
-    }
-  }, 100)
+const onCloseButtonClick = event => {
+  const { target } = event
+  event.stopPropagation()
+  const dropdown = target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelector(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)
+  dropdown.style.visibility = 'hidden'
+  target.setAttribute('aria-expanded', false)
 }
 
 const onOpenButtonClick = event => {
   const { target } = event
-  target.blur();
-  [...target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelectorAll(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)][0].style.visibility = 'visible';
-  [...target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelectorAll(ITEM_SELECTOR)][0].focus()
-  target.closest(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR).setAttribute('aria-expanded', true)
-}
+  event.stopPropagation()
+
+  // close all other dropdowns first
+  document.querySelectorAll(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR).forEach(dropdown => {
+    dropdown.style.visibility = 'hidden'
+    dropdown.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR)
+      .querySelector(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR)
+      .setAttribute('aria-expanded', false)
+  })
 
-const onCloseAreaClick = event => {
-  const { target } = event;
-  [...target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelectorAll(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR)][0].focus();
-  [...target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelectorAll(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)][0].style.visibility = 'hidden'
-  target.closest(OPEN_BUTTON_SELECTOR).setAttribute('aria-expanded', false)
+  const dropdown = target.closest(TOP_LEVEL_SELECTOR).querySelector(DROPDOWN_SELECTOR)
+  dropdown.style.visibility = 'visible'
+  dropdown.querySelector(ITEM_SELECTOR).focus()
+  target.setAttribute('aria-expanded', true)
 }
 
 const onItemChange = event => {
diff --git a/app/views/includes/multi-select.njk b/app/views/includes/multi-select.njk
index 07c4c23e3..76188ed21 100644
--- a/app/views/includes/multi-select.njk
+++ b/app/views/includes/multi-select.njk
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
-<div id="{{id}}__container" class="multi-select">
+<div id="{{ id }}__container" class="multi-select">
   <button type="button"
-    class="multi-select-title"
-    id="{{id}}" aria-expanded="false">
-    <div><span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Currently selected: </span><span class="multi-select-current-selections"></span></div>
+          class="multi-select-title"
+          id="{{ id }}" aria-expanded="false">
+    <div><span class="govuk-visually-hidden">Currently selected: </span><span
+        class="multi-select-current-selections"></span></div>
   </button>
-  <div role="group" aria-labelledby="option-select-title-{{name}}"
-     class="multi-select-dropdown"
-     id="list-of-sectors-{{ name }}"
-     style="visibility:hidden;">
-    <div class="multi-select-dropdown-inner-container govuk-checkboxes">
+  <div role="group" aria-labelledby="option-select-title-{{ name }}"
+       class="multi-select-dropdown"
+       id="list-of-sectors-{{ name }}"
+       style="visibility:hidden;">
+    <button type="button" class="govuk-button govuk-button--secondary multi-select-close-button">Close</button>
+    <div class="multi-select-dropdown-inner-container govuk-checkboxes" data-module="govuk-checkboxes">
       {% for item in items %}
-      <div class="govuk-checkboxes__item">
-        <input class="govuk-checkboxes__input govuk-!-font-size-16" name="{{name}}" value="{{ item.value }}" id="{{ item.id }}" type="checkbox" {% if item.checked %}checked{% endif %}>
-        <label for="{{ item.id }}" class="govuk-label govuk-checkboxes__label govuk-!-font-size-16 multi-select-label-{{ name }}">{{ item.text }}</label>
-      </div>
+        <div class="govuk-checkboxes__item">
+          <input class="govuk-checkboxes__input" name="{{ name }}" value="{{ item.value }}" id="{{ item.id }}"
+                 type="checkbox" {% if item.checked %}checked{% endif %}>
+          <label for="{{ item.id }}" class="govuk-label govuk-checkboxes__label">{{ item.text }}</label>
+        </div>
       {% endfor %}
     </div>
-    <div class="multi-select-dropdown-close-area"></div>
   </div>
 </div>