00:03It's been 10 years since the referendum that saw the UK narrowly vote to leave the EU,
00:09and while the time may have flown by,
00:11some of the conflicting claims about whether Brexit would be a benefit or a disaster for the country have not.
00:17Let's have a look at two of the biggest points of contention during the campaign, and how they hold up
00:21today.
00:22Remainers argue that leaving the EU would harm the UK's economy.
00:25The overwhelming consensus from researchers and government institutions is that this has been the case.
00:31The UK's own Office for Budget Responsibility has said that the country's productivity is down 4%,
00:37the UK's EU exports and imports will be 15% lower in the long run,
00:42and that new trade deals with non-EU countries haven't had a significant impact.
00:47Brexit has definitely harmed the UK economy, and it's done so very badly.
00:51Even many Brexiters would recognise that, although they say it's the price worth paying.
00:56Core estimates range from the UK being 4% poorer than it otherwise would be because of Brexit, to 8
01:02% poorer.
01:03A major claim made by the Leave campaign was that Brexit would allow the UK to better control its borders,
01:09and so drive down immigration.
01:11Immigration from the EU did fall dramatically as freedom of movement ended,
01:15but figures from outside the bloc rose, taking immigration levels to record numbers in 2023.
01:21Now, that wasn't just because of Brexit, because most other European countries also saw
01:27significant increases in immigration from outside the EU after the pandemic as a consequence of the labour shortages.
01:35Overall, the increase in non-EU immigration more than offset the decrease in EU immigration.
01:40Claims on immigration and the economy were some of the biggest drivers of the Brexit vote.
01:46And while some may think any negative effects of Brexit were worth it,
01:49polls show that most Brits think it has gone badly.
01:52An expert opinion and official statistics seem to back that up.
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