Jacob Rees-Mogg’s promises of “cheaper food, clothing and footware” that will “help the least well-off in our society” have been proven to be a complete falacy, according to Guardian analysis, which finds poor people are suffering the most from the UK’s split with the European Union.
January 1st marked two years since Britain officially departed the single market and 50 years since it joined Europe, prompting a moment of reflection from political commentators.
The BBC’s scorecard managed to unearth very few economic upsides from the split, finding it has contributed to low growth, high inflation, soaring business costs and squeezed productivity.
New polling, meanwhile, has found two-thirds of Brits support a referendum on rejoining, while the number of people who oppose another vote has fallen through the roof.
Commenting on recent developments, Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian said the reality of Brexit is “biting hard” and poor people are “suffering the most”.
New findings by the London School of Economics (LSE) show that red tape incurred by Brexit has resulted in the cost of food imported from the EU adding £210 to the average household’s grocery bill over 2020 and 2021: a 6 per cent increase in that period.
Because poorer families spend a larger share of what little they have on food, that £210 Brexit levy has hit them disproportionately hard.
Meanwhile, seven billion meals went to waste this year, with farmers citing Brexit – and the resulting shortage of fruit and veg pickers – as a key factor.
Freedland said: “Bit by bit, reality is succeeding where rhetoric (and statistical projections) failed. No longer are opponents of Brexit forced to make the case that in a world as interconnected as ours, cutting ties makes no sense. Or that walling yourself off from a trading bloc made up of your nearest neighbours – so that it is harder both to sell your stuff and buy their stuff – is obvious economic lunacy.
“Reality is making that case instead, day in and day out.”
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