Brexit opinion still divided in Leave-voting Fenland district
It is now five years since the United Kingdom left the European Union.The Fenland district of Cambridgeshire recorded one of the highest leave votes in England in the 2016 referendum, with 71.4% wanting out and 28.6% opting to remain from a turnout of just over 73%.How do people in the Fenland town of March feel about it now?
Alex Cox, 64, said he voted to leave the EU so Britain could control its own borders and cut immigration. He said he thought British people were being "left behind" and becoming "second- class".Now, though, he believes some politicians in the Leave campaign lied, and said if he could turn back time, he would have voted to remain.Asked if he felt there were any positives from leaving, he said: "Not in my eyes, there aren't."
Nick Lambert, 23, was not old enough to vote on Brexit but was a keen observer of what happened."I feel like there was a lot of misinformation, particularly online, that might have influenced younger people," he said."It feels like a road perhaps we should not have gone down. I remember at school people like [Nigel] Farage and such were pushing how fantastic it would be and how it would benefit the NHS."Reflecting back on it, it was a misled conversation. Hindsight is a boon, but there is very little benefit that I can see from it."
A couple married for 33 years wanted to remain anonymous, but the husband said he had voted to leave in the 2016 referendum, while his wife voted to remain.He said: "I have no regrets. It is OK to trade with Europe, but why should we have to pay for it?"His wife said: "I voted to stay in the EU because there are a lot of advantages. I think countries should stick together and support each other; look at all the wars that are going on."
Nigel Lambert, 60, runs a greetings card and gift shop in March, and voted to remain in the EU."I would say to everyone, what has been the change since we left the European Union? We were promised better, but nothing has happened," he said."It has been a tough five years. It would be more difficult now to import from Europe."All that has happened is suppliers that supply me have turned to other sources that are cheaper, the main one being China."It seems mad to me to support the Chinese economy when we could be supporting our neighbours."
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