In this episode, Matt speaks with Reem Ibrahim about whether Brexit can be considered a success six years after the UK left the European Union. They examine the classical-liberal case for Brexit (focused on sovereignty, deregulation, and free trade) and contrast it with a post-Brexit reality in which many EU-era regulations, trade barriers, and interventionist policies remain. While the most catastrophic “Project Fear” predictions did not come true, Ibrahim argues that Brexit’s promised freedoms have largely gone unused, leaving its long-term success still unresolved.

References

Brexit Referendum (2016) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

Project Fear — https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-take-back-control-trumped-project-fear/

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)’s Analysis of Brexit’s impact on trade — https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Perspectives_5_Has-Brexit-really-harmed-UK-trade__web-1.pdf

Brexit: The Movie — https://www.youtube.com/c/brexitthemovie

UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en

CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) — https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uk-and-the-comprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp

Working Time Directive — https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/working-time-directive_en

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