Brexit and a French Perspective
The weekly edition of the French newspaper, “Le Monde”, for the week commencing 27th June 2026 contained two significant articles on the UK as it appeared some ten years on from the Brexit Referendum held on 23rd June 2016.
The first article was entitled ( in translation from the French) : “Brexit: between : London and Brussels , the difficult relaunch of the relations” , with the strapline ( again, as translated) : ” Ten years after the divorce between the United Kingdom and the EU, the rapprochement desired by the resigning Prime Minister Keir Starmr is limited”.
The article argues that ,within the EU itself, Brexit has left some marks and that even the most Anglophile member states are not ready to open their arms wide to welcome the UK back to the EU. On the other hand, the article quotes an interview published in The Guardian newspaper on 18th June 2026 with former EU Chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, in which he suggested that in the event of any negotiation with the UK to rejoin the EU , it is quite possible that opt-outs could be agreed so that UK does not have to join the euro or be part of the Schengen area.
The second article was an interview with Sarah Hall, a specialist in “economic geography” and in Brexit at the University of Cambridge , in which she argued that , whilst the UK had gained some areas of flexibility ( particularly in such areas as Artificial Intelligence (AI) development) from being outside the EU’s regulatory framework, many UK regions which had been home to large industrial groups from the EU, such as the Midlands, had suffered greatly as a result of Brexit.
There seems to be a recognition in the two articles that something is amiss in the current situation with a major European country , the UK, being outside the flow of economic and to some extent political life that is represented by the EU.
The future will not be easy but there appears to be a growing acceptance in both the UK and the EU that the two parties should come closer together than they were following Brexit.
Let us see what happens!
Brexit and the USA
4th July 2026 marked the 250th birthday of the USA and is a time for both celebration and reflection about the World’s most powerful country.
In this regard, it is worth looking at the current trading and investment relationship between the UK and the USA, bearing in mind the deep historical and cultural ties that link the two countries.
The factsheet published by the UK’s Department for Business & Trade (DBT) on 23rd June 2026 ( coincidentally the 10th anniversary of the Brexit Referendum vote!) showed that the USA was the UK’s largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Quarter 4 (Q4) 2025 accounting for 17.5% of total UK trade. This demonstrates the formidable importance of the USA to the UK economy.
The factsheet also showed that total trade in goods and services ( exports plus imports) between the two countries was £331.5 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q4 2025, an increase of 2.5% or £8.1 billion in current prices from the four quarters to the end of Q4 2024. Of this £331.5 billion:
- Total UK exports to the USA amounted to £202.7 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q4 2025 ( an increase of 0.6% or £1.2 billion in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q4 2024); and
- Total UK imports from the USA amounted to £128.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q4 2025 ( an increase of 5.7% or £6.9 billion in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q4 2024).
In addition, the DBT factsheet showed that, at the end of 2024, the stock of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the UK in the USA was £529.9 billion , 11.2% or £53.5 billion higher than at the end of 2023 and that, at the end of 2024, the USA accounted for 28.5% of the total UK outward FDI stock.
The DBT factsheet also showed that, at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI from the USA in the UK was £640.3 billion, less than 0.1 % or £181 million lower than at the end of 2023 and that, at the end of 2024, the USA accounted for 30.1% of the total UK inward FDI stock.
Despite the occasional political volatility between the two countries in recent times, the economic relations between the two countries continue to grow strongly and give hope for the future.
Brexit and Life without the EU
The “Guardian “ magazine for Saturday 18th July 2026 contained a review by the well-known Irish journalist, Fintan O’Toole, of a collection of essays by 43 different authors published under the banner “The Brexit Effect , 2016-2026”, edited by Sir Anthony Seldon.
Whilst impressed by the collection as a work of scholarship, the reviewer expressed surprise that the collection failed to highlight the phenomenon of “English nationalism” ( as opposed to Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish nationalism) which lay at the heart of the Brexiteers’ success in the 2016 Referendum.
The review ends with a caustic statement: “ Brexit was a dishonest and self-harming response to the English question. But the great and the good seem loth even to hear it, let alone try to provide a better answer.”.
Not everybody would agree with this conclusion but it does show the strong views that Brexit still evokes.
This blog is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should not rely on any information contained in this blog as a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified legal professional regarding your specific circumstances.
