Experts clash over Brexit's impact five years on in The Independent's latest virtual event

The Independent 's latest virtual event explored Brexit's impact nearly five years post-EU departure.
Panellists included Labour MP Stella Creasy; Conservative MP Mark Francois; former Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox, Baroness Fox of Buckley; and Professor Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe.
Chaired by our chief political commentator John Rentoul, the discussion addressed reversing Brexit, economic implications, youth mobility, and public sentiment shifts.
To learn about our upcoming virtual events click here.
If you enjoy our virtual events, please consider supporting The Independent with a donation or by subscribing to Independent Premium.

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Here's what you had to say: Farage: the problem, not the solution Nigel Farage – the man who attempted to ostracise Britain from the EU, who pledged Brexit would dramatically bring down immigration, give us our sovereignty back, and who now squeals to the British public that he can somehow, somewhere, magic up a harsher version that will somehow fix all of Great Britain's problems. No Farage, you are the problem. As your new 'Chair' of Reform creates yet another divisive policy of bringing back the return of the death penalty – and as Sky News today has reported that the UK's largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200 per cent in the 10 local authorities won by Reform recently – he is now attempting to sack anyone working on DEI or climate change, despite the very fact that the councils don't even have staff who work exclusively on either of these policies. Can't he, for once, attempt to fix the problems that the UK already has, as opposed to creating new ones? Amy Regardless of whether leaving the EU was a good or bad idea, the outcome teaches us an important lesson about the way our democracy works. Brexit failed for lots of reasons, but in part at least, it failed because the government of the day didn't support it. As a consequence, they had no plan for it. This is why referendums, far from being examples of direct democracy, are terrible ideas – and in this case, a rank abdication of responsibility, and a classic example of a Tory putting his party before the interests of the country. If you want something to change, vote for a party that is promising it. It's to be hoped that they will at least have thought it out. RickC The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster Leaving the EU was a terrible blunder. The biased information received by the UK public was all in favour of 'Remain'. David Cameron went so far as to openly proclaim his allegiance to Remain and sought to persuade the UK electorate likewise. Unfortunately, the UK electorate had, at that time, seen little benefit from their EU membership and voted accordingly to leave. Cameron then did the right thing – to fall on his own sword! Unbelievably, Sunak brought him back into government as an entirely inappropriate foreign minister and even made him a member of the House of Bores. The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster, while still strutting itself on the international stage as a global player. If only politicians would learn to serve the people of this country well! This is – after all – what they are elected to do. SPCK The UK is reliant on a foreign workforce It has been a failure because none of the issues that triggered Brexit were properly addressed, but actually made worse, especially immigration, the number one reason Brexit succeeded. And what happened to immigration post-Brexit? Nothing, apart from Europeans being replaced by predominantly Indians and Nigerians, an important difference being that the latter are bringing in many more dependents than Europeans used to. I have been working jobs where the percentage of immigrants is quite high. Before Brexit, about 90% of coworkers from the EU came to the UK as single or at least without kids, while quite the opposite — 80% of coworkers from India, Nigeria or other African countries came in married with kids. Those who voted for Brexit were just too blind to realise or accept that the UK heavily relies on a foreign workforce, and if you did not want it from the EU, you will have to accept it from Asia and Africa. WokiePokie What does rejoining the EU actually mean? The trouble with this survey and many others is that they fail to qualify what rejoining the EU means. Most assume it means going back in with our concessions. If asked if they support joining the Euro and Schengen (which all new members have to agree to), the majority support amongst the UK electorate disappears. Ian Robinson "It found that 56 per cent want the UK to return to being part of the EU." But it didn't specify on what terms, so respondents probably imagined the same terms we had when we left. That, of course, will never be on offer – and joining the Euro and Schengen and fully committing to the full European project would be a non-negotiable prerequisite. They would also need to see a consensus among both the public and political classes, and that would mean another referendum with a super-majority in favour of rejoining – and 56 per cent wouldn't cut it. Then, the UK would have to be able to meet the Copenhagen Criteria and its economic limits in terms of debt and deficit, and we are nowhere near that. Happily, rejoining is a pipe dream. There is no prospect in sight for the UK rejoining. Dogglebird The people were lied to – we deserve another vote Brexit was a failure. We were all lied to by Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as well as the other Tories. Look at the damage it has caused and how many people have lost their jobs. The UK has been in a mess ever since. The UK public should be allowed another vote to rejoin the EU or stay as we are. After all, the government gets to vote on everything, but we are not allowed to. Markcarlisle Lazy leadership Brexit was based on lies and misled the public. Farage, Johnson, Gove and co stoked up the campaign and drove through a disastrous hard Brexit deal. But the man at whose door this lies is Cameron. He called the referendum to deal with Tory divisions, lost it because he was too lazy and sloppy to organise it properly (a binding referendum usually requires a two-thirds majority), and then walked away from the resulting mess. It's encouraging that public opinion is slowly shifting towards rejoining, but 56 per cent isn't a large enough percentage to encourage the current government to act, and polls have been stuck at that for quite some time. There will only be enough political momentum to justify rejoining the EU or the EEA when polling in favour of this is consistently over 60 per cent, and there's little sign of that yet. Tanaquil2 Weakening Europe was senseless At Brexit time (after the vote), I posted that it was silly to reject the economic value of being in the EU, but absolutely senseless to weaken Europe in the face of Putin and Jinping, given the US had voted for Trump. I didn't expect Trump to come back, but it was clear there was something seriously wrong over there. For all its problems, Europe is the best hope for the world, and it needs the extra weight of the UK. much0ado We need to know the terms first I voted against Brexit, but the biggest lesson should be: make any decision once you know the terms. From past reporting, it would seem some EU members are open to treating the UK as a returning member as a special case, whilst others, particularly France, want us treated like a new entrant. Langley Now isn't the time I was a staunch Remainer, and as a pro-globalist, I'm keen to see us rejoin the European Union. I also miss travelling so freely. I believe now is not the time to rejoin the EU, however. Nerves are still raw, the Brits aren't well-liked on the continent, and I believe rejoining would be a financially costly endeavour – a kind of punishment for leaving in the first place. More time needs to pass. BigDogSmallBrain No party will have the courage to rejoin Leaving the EU was a horrendous act of self-harm. Unfortunately, we have a situation in which the hard right still has substantial power and do not accept that we are in a worse position. It is somehow a failure of everyone else that Brexit is a failure. No party will have the courage to rejoin, especially as we are unlikely to rejoin on such favourable terms. The EU reset is a good start, but can we quickly progress towards a single market and customs union model? The country has been lied to, but too many people still believe the lies of Farage and co. If there were a referendum, I would vote to rejoin tomorrow. I have always been a Eurosceptic, but I have also always recognised the enormous benefits we got from the EU. If you belong to any club, some rules you will like and others you won't. Speculator The UK is now a sea of charity shops and budget stores I have lived and worked outside the UK since I was 26 and moved to Dubai, from there to Switzerland, briefly back to the UK, then Cyprus, and now France since 2009. Both my children were born abroad and benefited from living in different countries. I watched Brexit evolve with horror, but was powerless as I lost my vote after 15 years outside. I think if anyone has any questions about whether the UK should rejoin, they should take a trip through Europe — not the Costas, but the real Europe. Maybe a high-speed train from Milan to Bari, or a drive through France, Germany, Austria, and check out the well-maintained roads and facilities. Frankly, we find the UK now just a sea of charity shops, budget stores, scruffy towns and horrible transport options. Hoping it changes for the sake of the youth. Chris Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day's top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click 'log in' or 'register' in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.