Staff Reports
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum — the moment millions of Britons said “Take Back Control.” On paper, Westminster got its sovereignty back. In practice, many of the big promises tied to that slogan have not been kept. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced he will step down, polls show rising “Bregret,” and voters are asking a simple question: who actually runs Britain now?
Sovereignty on Paper, Not in Practice
Let’s be clear: Brexit returned legal control to Parliament. That is not a small thing. But law-making power is not the same as real power. Trade frictions, new customs rules and lingering EU red tape have left British business worse off than backers promised. Independent research suggests the country’s GDP per person and business investment are several percent lower than they would have been without Brexit. That gap matters to working families who were told leaving would unleash prosperity. Instead, the economic dividend many voters were sold has yet to materialize in any obvious way.
Migration — The Promise Nobody Delivered
“Take Back Control” also meant control over borders. Yet the migration picture is messy. The points-based system replaced free movement but did not set a hard cap. Official migration figures have shown record or near-record net migration in recent years. Voters who supported Leave to reduce immigration feel betrayed by a system that lets in far more people than ministers promised. If the aim was to control numbers and protect jobs, the job remains unfinished. Politicians love to wave their sovereignty like a flag; too few are willing to set a sensible limit and stick to it.
Politics Unsettled — The Establishment Keeps Shrugging
The political fallout from Brexit is still with us. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to step down highlights the instability that has become normal in Westminster. New parties and movements — led in part by Nigel Farage and Reform UK — feed on that frustration. Polls showing support for another referendum or closer ties with the EU are the symptom, not the disease. The real issue is a political class that talks about taking back control but then hands power to bureaucrats, global firms, or vague white papers. Voters smell the disconnect and are moving on it.
Take Back Control, Properly
The tenth‑year review should be a lesson, not a nostalgia trip. Winning sovereignty was a start. Delivering on jobs, borders and living standards is the work. Conservatives and reformers must stop treating Brexit like a victory parade and start treating it like governance: set enforceable immigration limits, cut needless red tape, and pursue trade deals that actually boost investment. If not, “Bregret” will keep growing and the next big change will be forced by voters, not handed down by polite Westminster committees. Ten years on, the question is still the same — who gets to call the shots? It’s time for the people to do more than shout slogans. Time to hold politicians to account.
