Andy Burnham wants to shackle us to a sinking ship that is the European Union. Reopening the Brexit debate would be a disaster, splitting the country once again. Fanatical Remainers cherry-pick opinion polls to claim Brits want to crawl back to Brussels, but when asked about sacrifices, the mood changes. Most voters do not want to surrender the power to make our own laws to unelected EU bureaucrats.
Brexit: Sovereignty Over Economics
Brexit was never just about economics; it was about sovereignty. Leave voters were prepared to take an economic hit for control. But how bad has that hit been? Looking at the figures, Brexit is not as catastrophic as Remainers pretend. Since 2016, the UK economy grew by 12.4%, while Germany managed just 6%, Italy 9.7%, and France 12.7%. If Brexit were the financial apocalypse, Britain should be trailing, but it is not. Covid, the Ukraine energy shock, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have inflicted far more damage.
The EU: A Shrinking Force
Remainers say we were mad to loosen ties with our biggest trading partner, but the EU is a shrinking force. In 2016, it accounted for 17% of global GDP; today, that is down to 13% and falling. Hitch Britain to that, and we shrink with it. Meanwhile, the US has surged ahead through technology and flexible labour markets. Asia’s emerging economies have grown even faster. Brussels has smothered countries with bureaucracy and red tape, regulating growth to death.
Trade Figures Debunk Collapse Claims
Remainers claim Brexit devastated British exports to Europe. Let us check the facts. In 2016, Britain exported £249 billion of goods to the EU. In 2025, that figure was £385 billion. Where is the collapse? Britain has also signed trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore, while joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. None of those countries dictates our laws or punishes us for non-compliance, unlike the bossy EU.
Rejoining Would Be on Worse Terms
If Britain ever fully rejoined the EU, it would be on worse terms. Margaret Thatcher’s hard-won rebate would almost certainly disappear, and contributions to Brussels would soar. We would also be pressed to join the euro, scrapping the pound and handing control of interest rates to the European Central Bank. The euro trapped different economies in a monetary straitjacket, resulting in stagnation and debt crises. We got a taste of that on Black Wednesday in 1992. Never again.
Europe's Industrial Crisis
Right now, Europe is on the brink of an industrial crisis as struggling Chinese firms dump surplus goods at rock-bottom prices. The EU already runs a €350 billion annual trade deficit with Beijing, which could hit €500 billion next year. China is wiping out Europe's industrial base while EU bureaucrats watch helplessly.
Conclusion: Benefits of Brexit Are There for the Taking
Brexit was never going to be painless, but the bill is now behind us. The benefits are there for the taking. Britain has huge growth opportunities in artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion, and gene editing. Rejoining the EU would strangle them in red tape. Andy Burnham would be mad to reverse Brexit if he becomes PM. Like all Remainers, he dreams of a confident, booming, liberal Europe that no longer exists. Britain has more than enough problems of its own, and we need to solve them ourselves.
