Why the UK Should Rejoin the EU – And Stop Pretending Brexit Worked

Published: 19 March 2026
Category: Opinion

An opinion piece on why Britain should rebuild closer ties with Europe instead of relying on unpredictable US leadership.

Let’s just say it plainly: Brexit hasn’t worked the way it was sold.

Years after leaving the European Union, the UK is still dealing with weaker trade, more friction, and a lot of political spin trying to convince us everything is fine.

It isn’t.

And if we’re being honest, one of the biggest strategic mistakes wasn’t just leaving the EU — it was drifting towards unreliable allies while distancing ourselves from stable ones.

The Economic Reality We Can’t Ignore

Brexit was supposed to make Britain more agile, more independent, and more prosperous.

Instead, we’ve got more red tape for exporters, slower trade with Europe, and businesses quietly scaling back or pulling out of EU markets.

We didn’t “take back control” — we added layers of complexity to our own economy.

There is now a growing body of evidence showing the long-term damage Brexit has done to the UK economy and trade. For a useful overview, see:

• Brexit’s long-term impact on the UK economy
  https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/the-economy-forecast/brexit-analysis/
  
  

• How Brexit has affected UK trade
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64450882
  
  

Trump, Tariffs and Unreliable Allies

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Donald Trump.

The idea that the UK could simply replace strong European ties with closer US alignment was always shaky — and it looks even worse now.

Trump is not some dependable ally with a steady hand on the wheel. He is erratic, self-serving, and frankly an idiot when it comes to how serious international partnerships actually work. He has imposed tariffs on allies, lurched from one position to another, and shown time and again that he cannot be trusted to put long-term stability ahead of his own ego.

You don’t build a serious economic future by tying yourself to that kind of chaos. You build it with partners who are consistent, cooperative, and geographically aligned.

That’s Europe.

If you want more context on tariff policy and the damage it can do, see:

• Trump imposing tariffs on allies
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68203820
  
  

• What tariffs are and how they impact trade
  https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-are-trade-tariffs
  
  

Why the EU Makes More Sense Than the US

The EU isn’t perfect, but it is our closest trading partner, a stable political bloc, and a group of countries with far more aligned interests than the United States.

The US, by contrast, is thousands of miles away, politically volatile, and increasingly protectionist.

If you’re choosing who to build long-term economic relationships with, it’s not even a close call.

Britain should be strengthening ties with the countries on its doorstep, not pretending it can drift off into some fantasy version of “Global Britain”.

Trade: We’ve Made Life Harder for Ourselves

Leaving the EU didn’t unlock opportunity — it created barriers.

UK businesses now face customs checks, delays, extra paperwork, and extra costs.

That isn’t freedom. It’s self-inflicted damage.

For more detail, see:

• UK trade relationship with the EU
  https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7851/
  
  

• Brexit has increased trade barriers
  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/31/brexit-has-hit-uk-trade-hard-says-report
  
  

The Brexit Promise vs Reality

We were told Brexit would mean better trade deals, more money for public services, and greater economic freedom.

What we got was slower growth, more complexity, and a constant need to defend a decision that has not delivered the benefits its supporters promised.

At some point, you have to stop defending it and start questioning it.

Time to Be Practical, Not Stubborn

This doesn’t have to be ideological. It’s a practical question:

Do we want to align with stable, nearby allies — or unpredictable, distant ones?

Because right now, we’ve stepped away from the former and flirted with the latter.

Rejoining the EU Isn’t Weak — It’s Sensible

Rejoining the EU wouldn’t be easy. It would take time, negotiation, and political courage.

But it would:

• Reduce trade friction

• Strengthen our economic position

• Put us back in the room where decisions are made
  
  

For broader context, see:

• European Union policies and cooperation
  https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies_en
  
  

• Research on Brexit and its consequences
  https://www.lse.ac.uk/european-institute/research/brexit
  
  

Final Thought

Brexit was sold as taking control.

But real control isn’t about standing alone — it’s about choosing the right partnerships.

Right now, we’ve chosen the wrong ones.

Britain should stop pretending that distance from Europe is strength, and stop acting as though Trump-style politics offers any kind of dependable future.

It doesn’t.

We should be rebuilding trust with our European neighbours, strengthening trade with the continent, and making the case — clearly and confidently — for rejoining the EU.

Because the closer you look at Brexit, the harder it is to argue that this mess was ever worth it.