Why Britain still feels stuck between two worlds
In 2016, 17.4 million people voted for Brexit — a simple idea: Britain would leave the EU and take back control.
Not just control of trade.
Not just control of borders.
But full sovereignty — the ability to define its own path without needing the permission of Brussels.
Eight years on, we need to ask: Did that really happen?
The Brexit We Were Promised
The vision sold to voters was bold:
- Independent trade deals tailored for the UK’s interests.
- Regulatory freedom — writing our own laws without EU oversight.
- A clear border policy controlled by Westminster, not Brussels.
It was never just about leaving the single market. It was about reclaiming full sovereignty.
The Brexit We Got
But what we ended up with is… blurred.
- The Northern Ireland Protocol kept parts of the UK effectively in the EU’s orbit.
- Regulatory alignment persists in many sectors, limiting our ability to diverge.
- The House of Lords and many MPs openly opposed to Brexit slowed or watered down its implementation.
Even trade — the great prize of Brexit — hasn’t delivered as promised. Deals with Australia and others exist, but the big wins (like a U.S. trade deal) never came.
Instead, we’ve been left in a halfway house: no longer in the EU but not fully out of it either.
The Cost of Half Measures
And here’s the sting:
When you leave halfway, you get the pain but not the full freedom.
- Businesses face extra trade friction without the compensating benefits of a fully independent regulatory regime.
- Immigration policy has been reshaped — but boat crossings and net migration figures show we haven’t regained the control promised.
- The government blames “Brexit,” but much of the pain comes from political compromises that left us tethered.
So Was Brexit the Problem?
If you ask me: No.
Brexit wasn’t the problem.
The problem was that Westminster never delivered the Brexit people voted for.
Instead of a decisive break and a clear new direction, we got years of political infighting, concessions to Brussels, and a culture among parts of Parliament and the Lords that saw Brexit as something to be “managed,” not embraced.
What a Full Brexit Could Look Like
It isn’t too late to finish the job:
- Rewrite the deal: Replace the Protocol with a settlement that restores the UK’s internal market integrity.
- Slash unnecessary EU-era regulations: Create a nimble legal framework fit for the UK economy, not 27 others.
- Drive real trade independence: Prioritise strategic deals with markets where the EU struggles to move quickly.
In short: use the sovereignty we voted for instead of treating it like a problem to be managed.
Final Thought
Brexit was about freedom. But freedom only works if you use it.
If we want the benefits of leaving, we can’t sit halfway out the door. We need to decide:
Are we an independent nation, or just an offshore extension of the EU?
Until that question is answered honestly, Brexit will remain a wound that never fully heals.
Hope isn’t what they promise you.
It’s how you carry on when they don’t deliver.
— Dave Carrera
