The people of Britain have delivered a damning verdict on Brexit four years on from leaving the European Union.
The Evening Standard’s political editor, Nicholas Cecil, reports an exclusive Ipsos poll for Wednesday’s Evening Standard finds 57 per cent of British adults believe Brexit has been more of a failure, with just 13 per cent of respondents saying more of a success.
The United Kingdom left the Continental trading bloc in January 2020, following the 2016 poll that saw ‘leave’ voters beat remain 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
But now more than four times as many people see Brexit as having not worked than those who believe it has gone well - and the Standard’s front page reflects that sentiment, with the headline: “Rue Britannia”.
According to Ipsos data, younger adults, Londoners, and graduates are particularly disappointed groups.
It came as health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom, a prominent campaigner for Leave in 2016, denied Britain’s split from the European Union was turning into a shambles, despite growing public disenchantment with Brexiteers’ wildly inflated promises.
There are warnings the new red tape, delayed during the Covid pandemic, will add £330m a year in business costs and drive up prices for UK consumers or even lead to shortages.
From Wednesday, the government is requiring imports from Europe of chilled and frozen meat and fish, cheese and diary items, along with some common types of cut flower, to be given a certificate from a European vet or health inspector before they can enter.
To discover more, we’re joined by Evening Standard deputy political editor Jitendra Joshi, who’s been reporting on the latest post-Brexit economic developments.
Listen above, or wherever you find your podcasts.
