Two business brothers, who were on opposite sides of the Brexit vote, are both disappointed ten years later. One believes the new freedoms have been wasted, while the other laments the complications that leaving the European Union (EU) has brought to trade.
The disappointment felt by Nigel Baxter, the owner of a commercial vehicle sales company, and his brother Ian Baxter, the owner of a logistics firm, over the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union reflects the mood across the country, Reuters writes.
Almost six in ten citizens now believe that Britain made a mistake in voting to leave the EU, a JuGova poll from June 9 showed. Ian, who is 60, said that 52 percent of citizens who voted to leave on June 23, 2016, realized that they had been “sold a dream.”
Nigel, who campaigned to leave the EU and lives in Nottingham, central England, said the deregulation, tax cuts and investment he had hoped Brexit would bring had not happened, blaming the government for a lack of dynamism.
"We failed to capitalize on something that, in terms of the significance of the decision itself, was historic," said 63-year-old Nigel.
For Ian, remaining in the Union was a pragmatic choice and the best way to ensure Britain's prosperity and security.
He said that leaving the EU had not had "catastrophic consequences", but that it had become much more difficult for British companies to sell goods in the EU, which remains by far the UK's largest trading partner.
Ironically, it was thanks to Brexit that Ian's logistics company, also based in Nottingham, grew significantly as he set up a department that provides customs services to help British firms export to the EU.
“Business is booming, but at the expense of our clients and their trade with the European Union, which is not as strong as it would otherwise be,” he said. “I still think it should never have become more complicated.”
In addition to disagreeing over Brexit, the brothers also support rival football clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal, but they have maintained a close relationship throughout the Brexit debate.
That wasn't always the case in the wider country in 2016, when passions flared over Brexit, with grim warnings about the economic consequences of leaving and incendiary billboards showing long lines of migrants.
Reuters points out that today the mood around that historic decision is more subdued, suppressed by new divisions in society, but that voters are still concerned about similar issues - stagnant living standards, underfunded public services and migration.
“Honestly, it kind of faded from my memory,” Nigel said.
For Ian, Brexit remains at the forefront, and the issue has re-emerged as a battleground in a possible contest for the leadership of the ruling Labour Party.
He is pleased that the current government, elected in 2024, is trying to establish closer relations with the EU, but rejects the idea of re-joining under worse conditions.
“I'm not sure the EU would offer us the kind of favorable arrangement we had then... I highly doubt that's possible now and that's why I don't see the UK rejoining the EU,” he said.
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