Three years after Brexit – which took place at midnight on 31 January 2020 – the disappointment of a large part of the citizens of the United Kingdom is felt with ever greater force. An anniversary, therefore, without particular events, that of London’s full-fledged divorce from the EU. A separation whose consequences continue to be discussed and recriminated: as confirmed by the widespread disappointment in the country for not having kept the promises made on the occasion of that step.
The disappointment and the spread among the voters of the “Bregret”
According to the average of the polls that are usually conducted now 57% of voters today would vote against leaving the European Union, while only 43% would be in favor of staying out. To define this change of attitude, the term was coined ‘Bregret’ a neologism created by the crasis between Brexit and regret.
A sentiment that today appears to be the majority in all constituencies on the island except one. Including those more Brexiteer and historically more Eurosceptic, even if this does not seem to translate, at least for now, into a wish for re-joining the union.
Disappointment at the meager results brought about by leaving the EU unites all sections of the population and also involves big names in finance, until yesterday convinced supporters of Brexit. Much of Brexit’s decline in popularity has been recorded among those who voted for divorce in 2016. Even among the ranks of the Conservatives, there are those who reject Brexit across the board: this is the case with Guy Handsa prominent exponent of the City, chairman and chief investment officer of the private equity firm Terra Firma and a former donor to the Tories, who denounced “a complete disaster” in an interview with the BBC.
“The reality is that it was a losing situation for us and for Europe – he said speaking with the BBC -. Europe has lost more in financial services but we have lost too. And the reality of Brexit was that it was just a bunch of complete and utter lies.” In recent weeks, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, had also spoken out on the subject, denouncing the government’s refusal to admit the “immense damage” caused by Brexit and hoping for a return to greater alignment with Europe.
For Sunak, enormous strides have been made in these three years
Three years after his divorce from the EU, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, despite the growing discontent emerging from the polls, celebrated the progress made by the United Kingdom.
“In the three years since leaving the EU, we have made great strides in leveraging the freedoms unlocked by Brexit to address generational challenges,” the Downing Street boss said, citing “the vaccine campaign” against Covid, ” trade agreements with over 70 countries” and the “resumption of border control”. A momentum that “didn’t slow down” during the first 100 days of his government, continued Sunak, assuring that “this is just the beginning”.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
“I am determined to ensure that the benefits of Brexit continue to empower communities and businesses across the country,” he said, bucking the prevailing sentiment among the population.
The widespread discontent in the national context was fueled by the various post-Brexit shocks: trade barriers, the effect of the end of freedom of movement on the availability of European manpower, crucial in various sectors, which threaten to make the scenario more serious than elsewhere: as evidenced by the latest data from the IMF (International Monetary Fund) which indicate that the United Kingdom could be the only G7 country to fall into recession in 2023.
