Brexit isn’t to blame for our current problems; it is still an opportunity

Last month’s pro-EU march in London. The argument was once ‘Brexit will crash the economy; now it is ‘the economy would be performing better were it not for Brexit’. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty

The UK economy is clearly struggling. Growth has stalled, interest rates are going up and the Treasury is softening up the public for a new dose of austerity measures.

For some, the explanation for these horrors is simple: Britain is paying the price for its decision to leave the European Union. Forget the impact of the most severe pandemic in a century. Forget what Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has done to energy prices. Brexit is the “gorilla in the room”.