Now Reading: Brexit 10 years on: net migration triples, trade deficit widens
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Brexit 10 years on: net migration triples, trade deficit widens
Ten years after the Brexit referendum, the UK has seen seven prime ministers and net migration has more than tripled. From 2.49 lakh in 2016, net migration surged to 8.91 lakh in…
The Story in Brief
Ten years after the Brexit referendum, the UK has seen seven prime ministers and net migration has more than tripled. From 2.49 lakh in 2016, net migration surged to 8.91 lakh in 2022 and 8.48 lakh in 2023, according to official data. The total net migration of 27 lakh between 2021 and 2025 is double the 12.7 lakh recorded in the five years before the vote.
Brexit campaigners promised to reduce immigration and boost independent trade. Instead, while EU migration turned negative, non-EU migration rose sharply. On trade, the UK's goods exports to the EU remain below 2019 pre-pandemic levels, and its trade deficit with the bloc as a share of exports increased from 13.5% in 2021 to 23.5% in 2025. Services exports have performed better but overall outcomes are mixed.
The Indian Opinion
Brexit campaigners sold a simple story: take back control of borders and strike better trade deals. Seven prime ministers and a decade later, neither promise stands up. Migration hit record highs, just from different countries. Trade with the EU has become more imbalanced, not less. The real test is not whether Brexit was a success or failure, but whether any UK government can now deliver the benefits that were promised, or whether the revolving door at Downing Street will keep spinning until the Brexit question itself is revisited.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
