FIVE YEARS SINCE BREXIT - LOWER TRADE, HIGHER PRICES, AND THE BROKEN PROMISES WHICH HAVE MADE US ALL POORER
SNP MSP Clare Adamson will today (Tuesday 28th) lead a Holyrood debate marking five years since Scotland was dragged out of the EU, despite every part of Scotland, and almost two-thirds of Scottish voters, voting to remain.
Ms Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, will emphasise the economic, social, and cultural damage that Brexit has inflicted upon Scotland.
Since leaving the EU on the 31st of January 2020, Brexit has had a hugely damaging impact on both the Scottish and UK economies. The UK Government’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects UK GDP to be 4% lower in the longer term because of Brexit – with reports estimating a loss of £2.3 billion in revenue for Scotland every single year.
Both exports and imports will be around 15% lower in the long term than if the UK had remained in the EU – with the increased cost of importing and exporting products. UK insurance premiums have skyrocketed – with car insurance in the UK up by 34% between 2022 and 2023 - compared to just 2% in France and 5% in Spain in the same period.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch recently admitted that “we announced that we would leave the European Union before we had a plan for growth outside the EU.”
Ms Adamson said:
“This week marks five years since Scotland was dragged out the EU against our will, after being told the only way to guarantee EU membership was by voting against Scottish independence.
“Brexit has lowered trade, and increased costs. In short, it has made us all poorer.
“Despite the promises of the Westminster parties, there are no free trade deals with the US or India, and the money on the red bus for the NHS has gone missing. The leave campaign sold a fantasy, and Scotland is still paying the price.
“A generation of young people in my Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have had the right to study, work, and live in 27 EU nations ripped from them.
“I am leading this debate because the damage done does not have to be permanent. I will always argue for Scotland to become an independent country and rejoin the EU as a full member state in our own right.”
Debate Motion: CS6M-16143 | Scottish Parliament: Website
15% in imports and exports: https://obr.uk/box/how-are-our-brexit-trade-forecast-assumptions-performing/#:~:text=Since%20the%20June%202016%20EU%20referendum%2C%20our%20forecasts%20have%20assumed,they%20are%20relatively%20more%20efficient.
Insurance costs: https://insight.rwabusiness.com/blog/posts/2024/april/cost-of-uk-car-insurance-up-by-a-third-compared-with-just-2-in-france/
Badenoch Quote: Badenoch criticises Tory handling of Brexit - BBC News
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