Majority of Britons regretting Brexit as inflation soars, trade crumbles: Poll

Three years after ditching the European Union under the Brexit campaign, a clear majority of the British people now regret the decision. A new poll by the Opinium agency has found that most of the people in the UK now blame Brexit for swelling inflation, the government’s inability to crack down on illegal immigration and the worsening health sector.

Staggering revelations

According to the poll, which took into consideration the opinion of 2,000 voters, only 10 per cent of people believed Brexit has helped their finances, while 35 per cent say the exact opposite.

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Only 9 per cent of people believe the country’s health services have improved, despite promises that leaving the EU would bring back £350m a week into the NHS (National Health Service). A whopping 47 per cent of people said the NHS had worsened over the past three years.

On inflation, just 7 per cent of people said Brexit helped keep prices down, while 63 per cent of them said theopposite and blamed it for the skyrocketing cost of living.

In general, just 22 per cent of voters said Brexit has been good for their nation.

Hefty promises not fulfilled

The bleak response from the British public reflects the fact that most of the promises offered to them during the 2016 referendum are yet to be fulfilled, while Brexit’s side effects are glaringly visible.

Watch:UK inflation: Post Brexit trade ties with the rest of the Europe shrinking

Pro-Brexit campaigners had said Brexit would give the UK more say in bilateral trade deals, thus driving up trade and investments. But a majority of the people still believe Brexit has been bad for their country’s overall trade.

‘Brexit still not top poll issue’

Despite having affected the UK’s population directly over the three years, experts believe Brexit is not going to be the top poll issue in the 2024 general elections.

James Crouch, head of policy and public affairs at Opinium, was quoted as saying by the Guardian, “More than half (53%) of leave voters now think that Brexit has been bad for the UK’s ability to control immigration, piling even more pressure on an issue the government is vulnerable on.”

“Despite this, Brexit is likely to be a secondary issue at the next election compared to the state of the economy and the NHS, which are the clear priority for voters,” he adds.

(With inputs from agencies)