North East leaders reflect on Brexit five years after leaving EU

-Credit:PA
-Credit:PA


Friday, January 31 marked five years since Britain officially left the EU.

Coming more than three and a half years after the historic vote in June 2016, the official moment of Brexit itself came at 11pm on January 31 2020. It followed years of political manoeuvring and two snap elections after Parliament became hopelessly stuck on the issue.

The referendum saw almost every area in the North East vote leave, with only Newcastle voting to remain by a majority of 1%. But the latest polls show that public opinion on Brexit may be shifting.

READ MORE: Rare £2 mistake could make coin worth 60 times face value according to TikTok expert

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: Newcastle United given clear Evan Ferguson transfer verdict after Brighton decision

According to data collected by YouGov, just 11% see Brexit as more of a success than a failure. More than 60% feel Brexit has been more of a failure, with even 32% of leave voters labelling it a failure.

On the night of the vote in 2016, Sunderland was one of the first areas to declare. With 61.3% of voters backing leave, the result was the first to show the direction of travel and sent shock waves across the country.

Washington and Gateshead South's Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, who was MP for Washington and Sunderland West at the time of the referendum, criticised the Conservative Party for the way it had implemented Brexit.

MP Sharon Hodgson
MP Sharon Hodgson -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

She said: "Five years on, it's clear that the Conservatives had no real plan for Brexit - and Kemi Badenoch herself has admitted as much.

ADVERTISEMENT

"This Labour Government is committed to making it work, and delivering the growth this country needs to put more money in people's pockets."

Ms Hodgson was referring to comments made by the Tory leader earlier this month, where she admitted the party did not have a "plan for growth outside the EU" when it announced it would leave the union.

However, the Conservative deputy leader of Northumberland County Council, Coun Richard Wearmouth, insisted opportunities remained to make a success of Brexit.

Take part in our survey: How do you feel five years post-Brexit?

He said: “In the time since Brexit the world has changed significantly, not least due to the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine. That, frustratingly makes assessing the benefit or otherwise of Brexit so far very difficult.

ADVERTISEMENT

"There has just been so much disruption to our economy, and our lives. As a council we definitely encountered a steady stream of companies making enquiries about 'onshoring' manufacturing and other activities back to the UK.

Northumberland County Council's deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth
Northumberland County Council's deputy leader Coun Richard Wearmouth -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

“There continues to be significant opportunities arising from Brexit in terms of this country being in control of its own destiny, its borders and its economic trajectory. But people must not be conned by snake-oil salesmen types that it’s 'all easy if only we do x y or z'.

"The fact is, benefiting from Brexit will take a lot of hard work. The opportunity is there for us however, especially for a region like the North East.”

While both main parties remain committed to Brexit, the Liberal Democrats have recently began calling for a closer relationship with the EU once again.

ADVERTISEMENT

Greg Stone, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Newcastle, said rejoining the customs union would be a "sensible...simple solution" to boost economic growth.

He said: "Five years ago, I was invited to speak at a Town Hall meeting in Bishop Auckland looking at the future for the region after Brexit. The crowd was strongly pro-Brexit and I imagine I was booked to be the pantomime villain.

"I was booed and jeered for my warning that Brexit would undoubtedly make the region poorer, and would have a damaging impact on regional investment, exporting businesses, and opportunities for future generations. Five years on, I think those warnings have held up, with many other disbenefits becoming clear.

"The impact on agriculture and fisheries is increasingly apparent, and our region’s universities have been badly hit by the impact on international student recruitment with a swathe of announcement of job losses. Deep down, I don’t think that anyone would realistically dispute that the country is now poorer and weaker than it was.

Coun Greg Stone
Coun Greg Stone -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

"Food and energy are not cheaper, and NHS waiting lists are longer. There is no sign that leaving the EU has reduced legal or illegal immigration.

"A vast amount of money has been spent on unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation, with little obvious gain. The prospect of a favourable trade deal with the US under a Trump presidency seems as implausible as Boris’s promised Brexit benefits of 40 new hospitals.

"As the Government desperately seeks economic growth, there is a simple solution. Rejoining the European customs union would be a sensible stimulus to economic and employment growth for our region’s manufacturers and farmers, and restoring our freedom of movement would at least prevent the misery of long queues at airport passport control.

"I can understand why polls are showing that a clear majority. I am pleased to see my party is making a renewed case for re-engagement with Europe, and I hope that people will recognise the role of certain politicians who have led us not into the sunlit uplands but well and truly into the doldrums instead."