It didn’t have to be like this, and yet, here we are. Amid the staggering damage estimates to GDP and future economic output, the actual Brexit divorce bill has also cost the UK dearly – with Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq confirming the worst.
The Labour representative outlined just how much leaving the EU has cost the country. Speaking with The Independent, Siddiq disclosed that an eye-watering total of £23.8 billion has been paid as part of the ‘financial settlement’.
A government spokesperson also told the publication where their priorities lie in repairing relations with the union.
“As a government, we are working to reset the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties, secure a broad-based security pact and tackle all of those existing barriers to trade.” | Govt Spokesperson
The misery, however, doesn’t end with this sum. In a response to a written Parliamentary question, the minister elaborated further, revealing that another £6.4 billion is owed to the trading bloc, taking the total fee to £30.2 billion since the Brexit deal was officially finalised.
Boris Johnson, who was elected Prime Minister in 2019 on the premise of ‘getting Brexit done’, rushed through a deal that was anything but oven-ready. Various drawbacks have emerged since the agreements were inked, leaving the UK worse for wear.
ALSO READ: Boris Johnson says he backed Brexit ‘to win an argument’
In a recent interview, Johnson said he did not regret leaving the EU – and stated that one of his primary motivations for supporting Brexit was to ‘win an argument’. None of us recall seeing that on the side of a bus, that’s for sure.
Now, whether due to hubris or ideological reasons, Britain finds itself tens of billions of pounds down. Keir Starmer and his colleagues in government have promised to ‘reset the relationship’ with the EU – but have so far ruled out the possibility of rejoining the union.
