6 in 10 Britons Call Brexit a Failure 10 Years After 51.9% Leave Vote
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 22
6 in 10 Britons Call Brexit a Failure 10 Years After 51.9% Leave Vote
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 22
Summary
Six in 10 Britons now say Brexit has been a failure, a decade after the 2016 referendum delivered a 51.9%-48.1% vote to leave the European Union.
Economists cited in the report say Brexit has acted as a persistent drag on growth, with estimates of lost output ranging from 2% to 8% through weaker investment, productivity and living standards.
£856 billion in UK-EU trade still dwarfs newer post-Brexit deals, while customs checks and paperwork have raised costs for exporters; Bosch UK now handles 10,000 import transactions a year, up from 40 before Brexit.
550,000 average annual net migration since 2021 has also undercut a central Brexit promise, compared with 250,000 in the 2010s, even though services exports and London's financial clout have held up better than feared.
Labour has pursued a post-2024 reset with the EU, but rejoining remains politically off the table, leaving Britain focused on modest ties improvements rather than restoring full single-market access.
Can the UK mend its EU ties for economic gain without sacrificing the autonomy Brexit promised?
After a decade of economic pain, was Brexit’s promise of sovereignty worth the price?
Ten years after the vote, has Brexit truly given Britain back control of its borders?
Brexit at Ten: How a Decade of Economic Drag and Shifting Public Opinion Are Forcing the UK to Rethink Its European Future
Overview
A decade after the 2016 Brexit referendum, public opinion in the UK has shifted significantly, with many now disillusioned by the economic consequences of leaving the EU. Studies show that by early 2025, the UK’s GDP was 6-8% lower than it would have been without Brexit, and this impact has built up gradually over time. The main cause is negative productivity from increased trading costs with the EU. As a result, there is a growing public desire for closer European ties, reflecting a transformation in sentiment driven by the persistent economic drag and the realization of Brexit’s long-term effects.