Britain must pull the rip cord and rejoin the EU to undo the appalling damage done by Brexit

In the face of overwhelming evidence of the appalling damage of Brexit on our economy, our politics and our lives, it is unthinkable – and immoral – to simply stick out heads in the sand, writes Gina Miller

Like most people, I was willing to give Brexit a go, providing the grown-ups were negotiating with our best interests at heart but that has not happened (Getty Images)

Like everyone else, I wanted to move on from the Brexit referendum. Today is the seventh anniversary of the Brexit referendum and we are faced with overwhelming evidence of the damage Brexit has done to the UK. Seven years on, the government still has no more of a proper plan or strategy. It is time to admit that Brexit has been a major economic and political disaster for the United Kingdom. It is time to start the process of re-establishing our membership of the EU.

That is the only feasible way of starting to undo the appalling damage that Brexit has done to us. I was willing to give it a go, providing the grown-ups were negotiating with our best interests at heart – but that has not happened. As a result, every opinion poll indicates that rejoining is now the will of the majority of British people.

I spoke out and fought to protect our parliamentary sovereignty and democracy, giving politicians the tools to do their job in implementing the referendum result in a legal and considered manner. I was hopeful that the difficult task ahead of our elected representatives would be logically and sensibly managed. But the various ministers and prime ministers can only trot out empty soundbites.

So I am once again speaking out.

Everybody makes mistakes, but the biggest mistakes are from those who refuse to admit them and learn from them. People were told that Brexit would mean more money for our NHS, lower immigration, and a stronger economy. None of these promises have been delivered. When the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, it was a decision that was based on fear and misinformation – and led by a liar.

​​The UK voted to leave the EU on 23 June 2016, after a campaign of fear and misinformation headed by a man who has now been found guilty of having lied to the House in an outright, shameless, and blatant manner. That was about lockdown parties, but Boris Johnson also lied and misled the entire nation in similar fashion about Brexit.

If our country is to move on from a high-tax, low-growth economy with failing public services, something must change. The toxic combination of a faltering economy and political chaos means our government have to borrow at 4.4 per cent per annum with a public net debt of £2,274bn resulting in extra interest alone costing the UK government an extra £30bn each year to service. That would pay for 60 average mid-sized hospitals to be built each year.

Recent polling commissioned by the True and Fair party and conducted by FindOutNow shows amongst 25- 34-year-olds, 76 per cent believe it was wrong for Britain to vote to leave the EU, while just 6.3 per cent think it was right, with 17.7 per cent undecided.

There are only three choices for our future relationship with the EU:

1. To renegotiate small sectoral changes to help reduce friction for both the UK and the EU

2. To join the Single Market and Customs Union but doff our cap and just accept existing and future rules and regulations

3. Renew our membership of the EU and be at the top table once again as a springboard to attracting inward investment and businesses to the UK

It is obvious that we need leaders of all parties to listen to the public and join together on the path to rejoining the EU, as the benefits far outweigh the costs. All parties and politicians must be honest. They may have hoped it could work, but every alternative they have come up with places us at a huge disadvantage.

True and Fair, the party I lead, commissioned ‘Addressing Brexit Problems’ earlier this year; a report examining the renegotiation clauses in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and how they could limit the damage. The overwhelming evidence is that while such renegotiations may protect some workers and some businesses, the overall impact will be small.

Real democracy in action would see parties place in their manifestos the ambition to rejoin the EU, thus providing the mandate required to act in our best interests. After seven years of failure, now we need to pull the rip cord and rejoin the EU.

Gina Miller is leader of the True and Fair Party and a prospective parliamentary candidate for Epsom and Ewell