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The Guardian - UK

Politics

Jon Henley

‘The day I left was the saddest of my life’: EU nationals on the pain of leaving UK

European Union United Kingdom Britain Brexit Craig London Austria Nerlands France Italy

Laure Ollivier-Minns in Nantes, France — Laure Ollivier-Minns first came to the UK in 1986, but has returned to Nantes, France. Photograph: Simon Torlotin/The Guardian

Everyone misses something. For some, it’s quite specific: PG Tips, Branston pickle, proper curry. For many, it’s more intangible: the atmosphere of an English pub; that greenness, everywhere; tolerance; and British openness.

Then they pause. Actually, many formerly British-resident EU nationals say, what they miss is an idea. Or, to be precise, the idea of Britain they had before 24 June 2016: all of them remember, in painful, pin-sharp detail, how they felt, and what they did, the morning after.

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