The Brexit bus was one of the iconic campaigning props of the 2016 Brexit referendum, but five years on from the day Britain officially left the European Union a pitiful 2 per cent of voters think the split has had a positive impact on the NHS.
New polling by YouGov brought out to coincide with the anniversary has uncovered souring attitudes towards Brexit, with just 11 per cent saying that it has been more of a success than a failure.
Asked to identify the areas in which the divorce has been a success, only in “taking back control” do more than 30 per cent of the public believe it has triumphed.
Under a quarter of Britons (23 per cent) say Brexit had a positive impact on Britain’s ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in every other area, no more than 11 per cent of Brits believe the split has been beneficial.
In terms of where Britons are most likely to think that Brexit has had a negative impact, economic considerations come top.
Two-thirds of the public (67 per cent) say Brexit has been detrimental to the cost of living, while 65 per cent say it has had a negative effect on the economy, and 64 per cent think it has been bad for British businesses.
A similar number also see Brexit as having harmed the UK’s diplomatic standing in Europe (61 per cent), with 52 pr cent saying the same about our diplomatic reputation in the wider world.
While the Vote Leave bus famously promised extra cash for the NHS, five years on 52 per cent of Britons think Brexit has been bad for the health service, compared to only 6 per cent who think it has brought improvement.
A meagre two per cent say it has had a very positive impact on the health service, which is striking given how prominently it featured as an issue during the referendum.
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