At 12.15am on June 24th 2016, Sunderland became the poster child for Brexit, with over 60% of its inhabitants voting to leave the European Union. Ten years on, the city and Britain as a whole remain divided, with many feeling regret over the decision.
The Brexit vote brought myriad day-to-day annoyances, including harder trade with the continent, buried in rules and paperwork. Small businesses were hit hardest, with the smallest fifth of British businesses exporting 30% less to the EU relative to the rest of the world.
Despite this, the world economy's shift towards services has helped Britain, with its services exports rising by 47% between 2016 and 2025. However, the loss of passporting has made it harder to sell services into the EU, and the City has struggled to adapt.
Britain has also seen an 'investment strike', with capital investment flatlining for six years due to Brexit uncertainty. This has suppressed productivity growth, benighting the broader economy.
However, not everyone has been hurt by Brexit. Puffins and lobsters are among the winners, and some industries have seen growth, including tech and film. The government has also used its new freedoms to transform agricultural policy, with farmers now required to deliver environmental goods.
But Britain has mostly failed to pursue the radical deregulation promised by small-state Brexiteers, with European rules remaining in force. The most visible change has been the surge in non-EU migration, with net immigration from outside the EU reaching 1m people in 2023.
Sunderland, which voted overwhelmingly to take back control of immigration, has been on the crest of the 'Boriswave', with people from outside Britain or the EU holding 10% of jobs in the city. However, residents have mixed feelings, with anti-immigration protests sparking riots in 2024.
Today, both Britain and Sunderland remain divided, with most Britons feeling regret over the decision to leave the EU. According to polling, 43% of Britons now think that leaving the EU has made their daily life worse, while just 11% think it has made it better.
