00:00Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union,
00:04the country is still asking whether Brexit has delivered what people expected.
00:09Its impact reaches well beyond politics affecting firms that sell overseas,
00:14employers looking for staff, people planning travel
00:17and young people considering work or study abroad.
00:21Supporters point to more control over laws, borders and trade.
00:25Critics say the costs are still being felt.
00:28Ten years ago we went to the polls to answer a simple question,
00:32did we want to remain in the EU with all the rules that applied at that particular point in time
00:37and of course they can sort of change and we had the ability to influence them
00:41or did we want to leave?
00:43And that was the only information that we were given as to sort of what leave would mean.
00:48We were going to a wilderness of which of course we're still going through the changes.
00:52Of course I know that even though the vote was taken,
00:55it took sort of another three years for Boris Johnson to win the get Brexit done election.
01:01Yeah, phenomenally close to Christmas in December 2019
01:05and then the following year we enacted the legislation which allowed this to happen.
01:08The trade deal with the European Union allows tariff free
01:12and quota free trade for qualifying goods.
01:16But new customs and checks can add time, paperwork and cost.
01:21That is particularly important for smaller exporters, food producers and manufacturers.
01:27Free movement also ended changing the rules for people to move to Britain for work.
01:33Employers in sectors that once relied heavily on European workers
01:37have had to adapt to new recruitment arrangements.
01:42Economically, culturally, socially there have been consequences
01:45and dare I say it, people who go abroad this summer may sort of feel the impact this
01:51in terms of the fact that it's going to take longer
01:53because of course of the security checks and the biometrics sort of thing
01:56and fingerprinting that we have to do to get into European countries.
02:00And of course that may mean that as is already happening, people losing flights,
02:03we've already experienced it, we have to sort of pay roaming charges and so forth.
02:07These are perhaps minor things, but of course it's the freedom to travel and work and so on and so
02:13forth.
02:14Supporters of Brexit say leaving created the freedom to make trade deals,
02:19control migration policy and set rules without European Union involvement.
02:25Critics argue that businesses now face barriers which did not exist before.
02:30The government has been seeking closer practical cooperation with European partners,
02:36including steps intended to reduce friction for exporters.
02:41But there remains disagreement over whether those changes go far enough
02:45or whether they risk weakening the control Brexit supporters wanted.
02:50But of course, coming back to what Brexit was about,
02:53it was the sort of the feeling by many who believe that sort of the freedom of access to both
02:59goods,
03:00which of course is highly beneficial to us,
03:01and we've experienced problems with sort of getting goods into the country,
03:05but it was workers who could come from any other European country and work.
03:08And so the sort of the argument of the sort of the detractors of the European Union
03:13were that this was taking away British jobs.
03:15But hey, there is no doubt that it's had a sort of massive impact economic in our country
03:20and we are poorer collectively as a consequence.
03:22What we've got to remember is the sort of the conditions that we have were really preferable for the EU.
03:27You know, we were sort of a valued member and the EU wanted to keep us if they possibly could.
03:32We're unlikely to ever get that again.
03:34We have to go in and most difficult of all, we probably have to accept the euro.
03:40Now, those who sort of join will probably have to accept that.
03:44But I think the sort of the whole sort of mood music is not for sort of for rejoining at
03:48present.
03:49And I think it's a longer term prospect than that.
03:52And I've always said right from the beginning, it'll take another generation.
03:55So I don't see this referendum.
03:58If there is one held in my lifetime, it's going to be another at least 10, 15, maybe 20 years
04:03before there's any realistic prospect.
04:06And I think the EU most particularly would have to be convinced that when we join,
04:10we're going to stay and not be a sort of a partner that can sort of disappear.
04:13So it's a fractious relationship.
04:15And let's face it, the EU, they spent an awful lot of time and effort trying to sort of deal
04:20with the problem of Brexit.
04:21So it was problematic for their party, problematic for ours.
04:24But undoubtedly, there is, if I may sort of put a sort of good word in for the EU,
04:29there's so much to be gained from sort of sharing in terms of energy, health and most especially defence.
04:35And of course, defence is the really big one with the prospect of the sort of attack by sort of
04:38Russia
04:39or sort of Russian bots and whatever else and sort of the military trying to undermine us.
04:45So there's a lot to be gained.
04:47But unfortunately, for those who are hoping for a sort of a quick rejoin,
04:51not going to happen, not in the sort of the very near future.
04:53Public opinion has shifted since the referendum.
04:57But there is still no single view on whether Brexit has been a success.
05:02The next test will be whether new agreements with the European Union
05:07make life easier for households and businesses,
05:10while preserving the changes supporters voted for.
05:13The next test will be whether new agreements with the European Union
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