Six years on and Brexit is not yet done. Like La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the task of completing it will be handed down the generations, along with the cost.
It is perhaps no wonder that a growing number of Britons say the UK was wrong to leave the European Union, according to an Evening Standard analysis of more than 200 polls. It shows that an average of 49 per cent of adults believe Brexit was a mistake, compared with 38 per cent who still say it was the right decision. This is the first time the gap has reached double-digits and is reflective of a gradual but unmistakable trend.
That there are downsides to Brexit may not come as a shock to a majority of Londoners. Back in 2016, seven of the 10 areas with the highest vote share for Remain were in the capital, with the city as a whole voting 60-40 in favour of the UK’s continued membership. Londoners know how Brexit has hurt our city.
From contributing to labour shortages and rising food prices to having part of our identity taken away from us. And that is before mentioning losing the right to live and work in 27 other countries.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s debate in Parliament on the Government’s plan to override international law to change the Northern Ireland Protocol is further evidence, should it be needed, that Brexit is not over.
A return to the EU is not on the cards. But we need an honest debate about the damage it has wrought on our economy and standing in the world, and the practical steps we must take to limit the damage.
