Ten years have passed since the UK voted to leave the European Union, but the debate continues to rage.
Britain’s relationship with Europe remains one of the country’s biggest political topics and the argument is far from settled, with the past decade seeing division over the issue only increase.
52 per cent of voters chose to leave in 2016, but nearly half of the British public want a second referendum, according to a major poll conducted earlier this month.
The research also suggested attitudes over the past 10 years have changed towards both the EU and the referendum itself.
The Independent has spoken to people from across the country about their views on the Brexit campaign, the ramifications of the result – as well as how they might vote if the referendum were to take place today.
Peter Cain, 56, butcher from Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester
Voted to leave in 2016, would vote to remain today.
“I did vote for leave, but if I had my time again [it would be different]”
“The country’s GDP is 5 per cent down because we’ve left, things are dearer [more expensive].
“I don’t think it was properly explained. I think it’s the same thing again with immigration, which is what everybody voted for – there’s more people coming over in boats than ever.
“I think we were misled.”
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Tracey Morris, 62, cleaner from Hereford, Herefordshire
Voted to leave in 2016, undecided on vote today
“What’s changed is our town centres are losing shops and getting filled with barbers, nail salons and off-licences. I can’t see any real improvement.
“I regret the way I voted because we had so many promises, and they haven’t turned out. All that money going to the NHS. It was a lie.
“Brexit ultimately saw a loss of support for politics. Who knows what they will say, where we go next.”
Robert Jeffries, 72, retired electrical worker from Pontypool, Monmouthshire
Voted to leave in 2016, would vote to leave today
“I voted Leave because I felt we were being subjected to by the EU and I didn’t think the EU was ever being held to account.
“I feel since we left, which is only six years ago, we haven’t yet made the most out of our own sovereignty.
“Life for us hasn’t changed too much, but to be honest I wasn’t expecting it to happen quickly.
“I hope that with the freedom to make our own decisions going forward we can eventually benefit from leaving the EU.”
Martha Keith, 43, small business owner from London
Voted Remain in 2016, would vote Remain today
“As a small business owner, I think the key thing about being in the EU was free trade. We always suspected that if we left, it would be challenging, and it has proved, from a business perspective, to turn out exactly as we anticipated. It has not been good for business.
“I hear every single day from small business owners [about] the complexities and challenges that it’s introduced and continues to introduce.
“It’s created paperwork, it’s created bureaucracy, it’s created cost, and has had a real impact on small business owners being able to operate within the EU – being able to send goods, being able to build customer bases.
”For us, the EU was such a growing area, and it’s just been such a real shame to see the impact that Brexit has had.
“Brexit has not helped in any way, it’s only hindered.”
Martin Grant, 64, semi-retired from Presteigne, Powys
Voted Remain in 2016, would vote Remain today
“I voted Remain because I thought it was in our interests, I didn’t see the point in splitting up with our biggest trading partners.
“It felt like madness.In the end, it was a protest vote that won it. I think people felt things could be better for themselves and they had no-one to hold to account, and they wanted a change.
“People were duped, Nigel Farage operated like a slick old salesman, he is liked and has big influence…. now they’re [people] are waking up and realising they are even more neglected despite Westminster’s pledges. We’re now left with a polarised nation.”
Fiona Hornsby, 55, pub owner from Liverpool
Voted Remain in 2016, would vote Remain today
“The Remain campaign seemed quite confident that they were going to win, so the Leave campaign was a lot more aggressive and tapped into those sort of ideas that people have – that immigration is ruining the country.
“That was their big one. That we’d get our sovereignty back and that doesn’t really mean anything. It just seems to tap into that.
“Farage is still doing it now, saying that immigrants are to blame for everything.
“Which is not true. Without people coming here, as we go to other places, you wouldn’t have a rich and interesting country as we do, would you?”
Bill Pickup, 65, retired senior consultant, from Glossop, Derbyshire
Voted Leave in 2016, would vote Leave today
“I voted Leave because I thought we no longer had control of our laws, and the only way to get them was to come out of the EU.
“We didn’t have the benefit of the EU law we were promised. We tried to do something [with] it, but they [politicians] didn’t really want to leave and we didn’t achieve our potential.
“It wasn’t the fault of Brexit, it was the fault of the politicians. Not much good has been done to get us to be able to stand on our own two feet following the withdrawal.”
John Smyth, 70, retired care worker
Voted Remain in 2016, would vote Remain today.
“I voted Remain because it was the clear and obvious best option for our country. The other option was ludicrous, and it has turned out that way.
“There was no problem before on travelling to Europe, now we face problems, it was a bad idea all the way.
“We have gone downhill. We had hope, we had expectation – but now we appear stunted. If anything, Brexit has only made us an isolated outsider.”
