Brexit Decade On: Five Symbols Show Mixed Results
10 reported
Ten years after the UK voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, a review of five key symbols from the 2016 referendum shows mixed outcomes. The Nissan factory in Sunderland, which produced 507,000 cars in 2016, made only 273,000 last year, though it recently secured a potential deal with Chinese manufacturer Chery. The fishing industry, which played an outsized role in the debate despite making up only about 0.3% of the economy, has seen continued frustration, with EU boats granted access to British waters until 2038 under a recent deal. Blue passports, rolled out in 2020, now require stamping at EU borders and Britons face a €20 charge for the upcoming Etias system. Care home workers from the EU saw recruitment become "impossible" after the vote, leading to a surge in non-EU workers, who now make up 24% of the social care workforce. The article notes that disentangling Brexit's exact impact from other challenges like the pandemic and Ukraine war is difficult.
What’s reported
The UK voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU in June 2016.
Nissan's Sunderland factory produced 507,000 cars in 2016 and 273,000 last year.
Nissan received £61m in state aid in a secret deal and another £101m in late 2022.
Fishing makes up about 0.3% of the British economy.
EU boats can fish six miles off the UK coast until 2038 under a deal with Keir Starmer.
Britain imported £4.1bn of seafood last year, double its £2bn in exports.
About 70% of 54m UK passports are now the old navy colour; burgundy passports will be extinct by 2030.
Britons face a €20 charge to visit the EU when Etias is introduced.
Unfilled care sector vacancies in England rose from 78,000 in 2016-17 to 132,000 five years later.
As of last year, 24% of the social care workforce was from a non-EU country, up from 9% in 2017.
Key figures
Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's chief executive at the time of the referendum
Theresa May, installed as prime minister after the vote
Brian Gu, vice-chair of Chinese carmaker Xpeng
Nigel Farage, then Ukip leader
Bob Geldof, rock star
Mike Cohen, head of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations
Derek Meredith, owner of three fishing boats at Brixham
Nadra Ahmed, chair of the National Care Association
Raj Sehgal, operator of six care homes in Norfolk
Kieran McCormick, recruitment agency owner for nurses and care workers
Sources: The Guardian
