‘It feels like we never left’: resentment builds in one of UK’s firmest Brexit-backing areas
GuardianMAY 17
Brexit: A History of UK-EU Relations
Above: Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron in Berlin, Germany on May 29, 2015. Image copyright: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Brexit was the world's greatest self-inflicted wound, trading influence for isolation and economic prosperity for nationalist rhetoric. Nine years later, growth is stagnating, young people face restricted opportunities, immigration has ballooned, and the U.K.'s global voice grows ever quieter. The polling is clear: the public regrets the decision and wants to rejoin the EU. The U.K. must reverse this dreadful decision before it is too late.
Right narrative
Brexit gave the U.K. the autonomy to make its own laws, control its borders, and strike global deals. Now, the government seeks to undermine these freedoms. Brexit wasn't a mistake, it was the democratic will of the British public, and Starmer's plan to slowly reintegrate the U.K. back under Brussels' thumb betrays the very principles of democracy. As the EU stagnates, Britain's long-term future lies as an independent nation on the global stage.
Pro-government narrative
While Brexit continues to leave a nation divided, for better or worse the U.K. must accept the past and look towards the future. In perilous times for global security, it is time for the continent to reset relations. A return to the EU is off the cards, but that does not mean either side can afford to ignore the importance of one of its closest allies. Some things are bigger than politics, and the future is stronger together.
Government-critical narrative
The Brexit referendum was a great opportunity for the U.K. to reaffirm its sovereignty, as well as recalibrate its global influence. Spurred on by a bloated, bureaucratic EU that made a mockery of democratic principles, the British public took the bold decision to leave, but the subsequent political and diplomatic fumbling of successive governments has subdued U.K. influence for generations to come. A diluted approach to Brexit has left the nation at the mercy of its neighbors and trading partners.