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New polling released on the fourth anniversary of Britain’s departure from the European Union suggests the country is suffering from a painful bout of Brexit buyer’s remorse.
The UK left the European trading bloc at 11pm on 31 January 2020 after a 2016 referendum vote returned a narrow victory for Leave, with the nation bitterly divided 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
Despite the date being crowned Britain’s ‘Independence Day’ by those who advocated for the split, not everyone in the country is feeling the same levels of enthusiasm towards the split.
New polling conducted by Ipsos for the Evening Standard has found that 57 per cent of adults in the country believe Brexit has been more of a failure, with just 13 per cent saying more of a success.
Younger adults, Londoners, and graduates are particularly disappointed groups.
The poll found 70 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds think Brexit has been more of a failure, and 64 per cent of 35-54s, compared to 38 per cent of those aged 65+.
Sixty-seven per cent of Londoners brand Brexit more of a failure, compared to 49 per cent in the Midlands, while 73 per cent of graduates have the same negative view of Brexit, double the 36 per cent of those without formal qualifications.
The poll has been released in the wake of a number of disastrous headlines regarding the UK’s divorce with Europe.
In a devastating setback to grandiose promises of a free trade bonanza once freed from the shackles of the EU, talks with Canada were ditched after nearly two years of negotiations on a post-Brexit agreement.
New border checks, meanwhile, are expected to lead to fresh price rises and supply chain issues.
Commenting on the poll results, Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos UK, said that “2019 was called the Brexit election, and it was a key factor in Boris Johnson’s victory”.
“Now consistently most Britons think it has had a negative impact on the country, and even those who were more likely to support the decision often feel that it could have been better implemented.”
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