Most Brits don’t think their personal finances will be better as a result of Brexit, and the belief is also shared by an overwhelming percentage of Leavers, a new poll has revealed.
According to a Savanta ComRes poll for The Independent, no region, social class or age group thinks Brexit would benefit them financially – with only 22 per cent of the total amount of Leave voters thinking they will have personal gains from exiting the EU.
And over a third of voters said they think their personal finances will suffer because of Brexit.
Boris Johnson – honest about levelling up?
Findings suggest voters think Boris Johnson should prioritise “levelling up”, but only 28 per cent believe he is honest in claiming to work towards achieving equality among UK’s different areas.
The strongest scepticism came from the North and the Midlands – areas the prime minister vowed to help.
The survey also found that more than 56 per cent of voters think their lives will be worse because of rising costs of food, energy and housing – and many are also worried about Brexit and recent Tory changes to tax rates.
Fears over living costs were strongest among the elderly, with 73 per cent of over 65s concerned about their finances.
Around 43 per cent of the poll responses revealed Brits worry their financial situation will worsen over the coming year.
Levelling up fears
This week, a Durham University expert said the government’s move towards an economy with high-skill, high-wage and high productivity will likely cause economic disruptions and job losses if the government is not preparing and organising the transition.
Professor Bernd Brandl said the move may be highly beneficial for businesses and workers in the long run, however, without planning, it will cause painful disruptions over the next few years as the change could take years or even decades for some businesses.
In the short run, many existing companies may not be able to afford higher wages and go bust, causing job losses and industrial conflict.
Earlier this year, Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said Brexit exposed a “wide divide” between UK’s regions: “It has broken out this issue of regional inequality and now the Johnson government want to level up.”
Andy Burnham on levelling up
He said he is “skeptical” about whether the Tories will actually follow through on this.
But he said he is glad this is now number one on the political agenda.
“In all of my life, having spoken out for the North of England in Parliament, I’ve never seen regional inequalities as the top issue in British politics. Well, now it is.”
He added: “We’re a very uneven country. In fact, we are the most politically overcentralised country in the OECD, with all power pretty much vested in Westminster but also one of the most regionally unbalanced.”
Related: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Brexit is a new reality that needs to be embraced’, Andy Burnham tells TLE