Key facts
- Brexit has been described as an "absolute nightmare" and "shambles" by a fish exporter in Torridge and West Devon.
- The fish exporter faced significant additional export costs and lost shipments after Brexit, receiving only partial compensation.
- The former MP for Ceredigion believes Brexit contributed to his election loss and has negatively impacted the local agricultural sector.
- Scottish fishers feel their livelihoods were "bartered away" after voting for Brexit to gain more control over their waters.
- Former Leave campaigners in Romford express mixed feelings, citing pressures on public services and the rise of Reform UK.
- Brexit has been linked to increased constitutional focus and the rise of nationalist parties in Wales.
A decade after the UK's EU referendum, The Guardian revisited five constituencies that were bellwethers for the Leave or Remain vote, assessing the impact of Brexit on individuals and local economies. In Torridge and West Devon, which voted 57% to Leave, fish exporter Tony Rutherford described Brexit as an "absolute nightmare," citing crippling export costs, bureaucratic hurdles, and lost shipments. He lamented that the fishing industry achieved "barely any increase in fishing opportunities" and felt "sold down the river."
In Ceredigion, which voted 54.6% to Remain, the former Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams stated that Brexit contributed to his election loss and that the local agricultural sector has suffered. Ben Lake, the current MP, noted that upland sheep farmers are more dependent on subsidies and face new health and sanitary certificate requirements for lamb exports to the EU.
Banff and Buchan, which voted 54% to Remain, saw its former fishing industry chair, David Milne, express bitterness. He stated that promises of "control" and managing their own waters were unfulfilled, with EU vessels now exploiting cod spawning grounds. Romford, a Leave-voting constituency at 69.2%, saw former Conservative councillors Michael White and Dilip Patel express "mixed feelings." They cited pressures on the NHS and housing, and acknowledged Brexit's role in the recent local election gains by Reform UK, which unseated them.