Just under a third of Brits continue to believe that their country was right to leave the EU, according to recent polling. A decade after the 2016 referendum, the UK remains fixated on the breakup, while the EU has largely moved on, focusing on other crises and new potential member states.
EU Citizens Have Moved On
Katy Lee, a Paris-based journalist and co-host of the podcast The Europeans, says she speaks daily to people across Europe. "Nobody I speak to bears the United Kingdom any ill will," she writes. They enjoy British films and pop music, and some take weekend trips to London, but they rarely talk about moving to the UK for work or study. "Why would they, when so many obstacles stand in the way, and when there are 26 other countries they could move to at the drop of a hat?"
The numbers back this up: EU nationals make up just 5% of those who obtain a UK visa after navigating the post-Brexit immigration system. In 2023-24, the number of EU students enrolling in UK courses was down 58% compared to the last year under free movement. Talks aimed at offering three-year visas to under-30s remain deadlocked.
Impact on UK Economy and Reputation
These missing EU nationals have impacted the British economy and the UK's "street cred." Young, creative Europeans are now more likely to move to Berlin or Barcelona than London. "Brexit hasn't made London less cool, exactly – just less relevant," Lee notes.
Meanwhile, the EU has demonstrated a healthy ability to move on, switching focus to crises like the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and Donald Trump's presidencies. It is also courting new potential member states, from Montenegro to Moldova. In contrast, the UK is "the ex still consumed by the breakup a full decade later – increasingly accepting that it's made them poorer, but a long way from asking if the EU fancies making another go of it."
Brits Feel More European
For British people still fixated on their former flame, the referendum has actually made them feel far more European. Lee, who now holds dual French-UK citizenship, says she spends most of her time making podcasts exploring European identity. "We hear all the time from British people who take comfort in a show that connects them to the continent each week."
Of course, not everyone feels this way. Just under a third of British people continue to believe Brexit was right. But regardless of how they voted, Brits have been subjected to a decade of politicians continuing to talk about Brexit.
EU Leaders Don't Spend Much Time on UK Relations
As policy analyst Jannike Wachowiak put it: "European leaders simply don't spend much time thinking about relations with the UK." Lee argues this is the best outcome: the UK has gone from being the problem ex to someone you can exchange pleasantries with at a party. This matters because both sides need to work together at every G7 and Nato summit.
Trade is harder than before but remains important. The EU and UK have largely spoken with one voice on Ukraine. And despite domestic political chaos, the Starmer government has proved a relatively stable international partner.
Brexit a Cautionary Tale for Europe
For the EU, Brexit has been bruising but educational. Europeans in many countries have watched the UK's chaos and decided that a local version of Brexit would be unwise. This provides a source of tranquillity at a time when Europe faces the climate crisis, Russia, China, and AI-driven labour market upheaval.
Lee concludes: "There's a poignant justice in the idea that the partner that got dumped in this relationship is doing pretty well, given the circumstances, while it's the one that did the dumping who's still hung up on what might have been." She notes that old lovers sometimes reunite, but the UK might need another decade of growing up first.
