There can be little doubt that Brexit has been a failure. For most of the British people. The country is poorer, more isolated and more divided as a result of it.
But as we reflect on the referendum vote ten years on, it is still imperative to consider why it happened.
I am reminded of the Newcastle woman, who on being told at a hustings before the referendum that our national GDP would go down if we voted to leave, replied: “That’s your bloody GDP not ours!'”
We are still not dealing effectively enough with the vast inequalities which have developed in our country, especially between the north and south, which helped to fuel the Brexit vote in the first place.
Yes, we must draw closer to the EU again, but we must also tackle the inequalities and injustices on display in our country, which have grown since the 1980s.
We must heal as a nation and work out how to deal with both Brexit and the causes of Brexit.
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