What Went Wrong With Brexit

Brexit divided Britain. For many it wasn't simply about economics, it was about 'taking back control', about some non-specific idea of sovereignty. But six years later the real effects of Brexit are being clearly seen. And questions need to be asked as to whether it lived up to any of the promises made, and to count the real cost of leaving the EU. The reality is that the 'Global Britain' we have been promised has not been delivered. Brexit has damaged the prospect for UK trade and inward investment into the UK. The trade deals we were promised never materialized. The much-vaunted end of red tape has, in reality, meant vast numbers of companies having to go back to the drawing board on creating new regulations and standards before they can start to trade with Europe again. Our exports have suffered. Trade with the EU is now 10% more expensive than it was before Brexit. By the end of the decade average wages for UK workers will be £470 worse than they would have been had we not left. Already the earnings of the UK's middle classes are slipping far behind their European peers. And the political fallout continues; all the main political parties are now aligned with making Brexit better, no-one is yet prepared to say 'perhaps it was a massive mistake'. What has really happened? What are the options going forward? These are the questions Peter Foster answers in What Went Wrong with Brexit.