Brexit: a divisive anniversary
Three years on from Brexit, its impact on the British economy remains highly debated

If anyone was celebrating Brexit’s third anniversary last month, they were doing it jolly quietly, said Brian Reade in the Daily Mirror. “Where was the bonging of Big Ben and pealing of church bells”, to mark “our glorious escape from those evil EU slavemasters”? Perhaps the “stony silence” from the Brexiters was unsurprising, given that the IMF thinks the UK will perform worse than any other big economy this year.
Since “freedom day”, trade with the EU has slumped by around 20%. Bloomberg Economics recently estimated that withdrawal from the EU has reduced the size of the UK economy by 4%, costing us £100bn a year. “As for taking back control of our borders, how’s that going? Asking for a friend in Dover.”
Brexit is destined to join Suez and the Iraq War in the “great pantheon” of self-inflicted national catastrophes, said Ian Dunt in The i newspaper. Those who inflicted it on us “should hang their heads in shame”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
‘Misled by lying charlatans’
It’s hard to admit being wrong, said William Keegan in The Observer. But Brexit voters are now doing so in droves; at least they have the excuse that they were “misled by a gang of lying charlatans”. Today, a “tidy majority would like to rejoin” the EU.
But that won’t be happening any time soon, said Allister Heath in The Daily Telegraph. And nor should it. The counter-factual studies showing what Britain has lost due to Brexit are not to be trusted. UK growth since 2016 has been about the same as Germany’s (5.7%); last year, our GDP grew faster than that of France, Italy and Germany.
If the EU is the answer, why are its members’ economies growing no faster than the UK’s? It’s true that our “second-rate” leaders have failed to capitalise on Brexit, but it has only just begun. “Non, je ne bregrette rien, and neither should you.”
‘Destined to leave’
The UK’s departure was shambolic, and the impact on trade has clearly been damaging, said Iain Martin in The Times. But the deep gloom over Brexit has become “so comical in its intensity” – and the tendency to blame Brexit for all Britain’s woes so pervasive – that we’ve forgotten why we left: to gain “greater autonomy” over national affairs.
The UK was always “destined to leave” the EU, because it was never committed to “the relentless logic of closer union”. Now that we can no longer blame problems on the “bogeyman” in Brussels, Britain’s many challenges – on productivity, innovation, investment, improving financial markets, migration and public services – are “our own to fix, or not”. We can either “weep and wail”, or we can get on with it.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What does 'conquering' Gaza mean to Israel?
Today's Big Question Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has approved a plan to displace much of the Palestinian population while seizing and occupying the territory on a long-term basis.
-
Casey Means: the controversial 'wellness influencer' nominated for surgeon general
In the Spotlight Means has drawn controversy for her closeness to RFK Jr.
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
How does the Alien Enemies Act work?
Feature President Trump is using a long-dormant law to deport Venezuelans. How does it work?
-
Baby bonus: Can Trump boost the birth rate?
Feature The Trump administration is encouraging Americans to have more babies while also cutting funding for maternal and postpartum care
-
Musk: What did he accomplish with DOGE?
Feature The billionaire steps back from DOGE after slashing federal jobs and services
-
Deportations ensnare migrant families, U.S. citizens
Feature Trump's deportation crackdown is sweeping up more than just immigrants as ICE targets citizens, judges and nursing mothers
-
Trump shrugs off warnings over trade war costs
Feature Trump's tariffs are spiraling the U.S. toward an economic crisis as shipments slow down—and China doesn't plan to back down
-
A 'meltdown' at Hegseth's Pentagon
Feature The Defense Secretary is fighting to keep his job amid leaked Signal chats and staff turmoil
-
Reining in Iran: Talks instead of bombs
Feature Trump edges closer to a nuclear deal with Iran—but is it too similar to former President Barack Obama's pact?
-
Tariffs: The quest to bring back 'manly' jobs
Feature Trump's tariffs promise to revive working-class jobs, but today's labor market has moved on