Commiserations for those who believed Brexit claims

As we mark the 3rd anniversary of our departure from the EU, may I extend my commiserations to those who believed the claims of the leave campaigns and voted for Brexit.

As I recall, much was made of how the claimed savings, due to our no longer paying membership fees to the EU (as featured on the sides of a bus), would be redirected to transform the NHS for the better. The reality is somewhat different, with an acute shortage of staff due to doctors, nurses and care workers choosing to work in the EU rather than tolerate the “hostile environment” in the UK.

Another claim was that the UK would “take back control” of its borders. Unmanaged migration is not falling, but rising. In addition, while the EU has introduced controls on its borders, so that we are treated as any other third country (hence the additional “red tape” for our exporters), we have failed to put in place controls on our borders, so that most of the imports from the EU pass through unchecked. Smugglers are having a “hay day”.

Then there was the claim that we would regain our “sovereignty” and ensure that all our laws were controlled by our Parliament. In fact Parliament was always sovereign but delegated some of its power relating to rules and regulations concerning trade so that these would be common throughout the EU. As one of the largest members, we had considerable influence over the drafting of these rules and regulations which, because of the size of the EU market, become by default world standards. Now in practice we just have to accept whatever rules and regulations the EU introduces, since our exporters will have almost no markets if we do not comply.

Ironically, the Government is now passing legislation so that an unknown number of regulations can be abolished by Ministers without any oversight or control by Parliament.

Trade deals also featured in the Brexiteer promises. The UK has yet to secure a single better trade deal with a significant partner than we had as members of the EU.

We were told that the economy would boom once the UK was “unshackled” from the “sclerotic” EU. Unfortunately the UK is once more the “sick man of Europe”, with an economy that is still smaller than it was before the pandemic and falling behind similar economies such as Germany.

Sadly, rejoining the EU will be much harder than leaving. Every EU country has a veto and it is highly unlikely that they will accept an application for membership until all the major political parties in this country support rejoining.

John Catt, a member of the European Movement (www.europeanmovement.co.uk)