Brexit at 10: Migration Reordered, Trade Shifts and New Political Turmoil

Overview

• On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, coverage of the tenth anniversary emphasised public regret about the 2016 vote and the recent resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, prompting a change in Labour leadership.
• Official data show EU net migration to the UK has fallen and become negative while net migration from non‑EU countries surged, reaching about one million arrivals in 2023 and leaving non‑EU migrants as the dominant source of new residents.
• Trade statistics from the ONS show goods exports to the EU fell from £205 billion in 2016 to £185 billion in 2025 and the UK’s goods deficit with the EU widened to roughly £140 billion, even as services exports grew and total exports rose to £908 billion.
• Economic measures show the UK broadly tracked other advanced economies after 2016 but has modestly underperformed some peers since the early 2020s, and rising imports pushed the overall trade deficit to about £65 billion in 2025.
• Politically, Brexit has deepened churn: six prime ministers since 2016, a strong surge for Reform UK in recent local votes, and a wider European shift from calls for exits toward demands for EU reform.