TIME FOR BREX-IN!

The argument is over. The UK economy is 5–8% smaller than it would have been inside the EU. Business investment sits 10–15% below pre-Brexit. 41% of UK goods exports still go to the EU—now burdened by friction, delays, and increased cost. We still follow EU standards. We still accept legal alignment in Northern Ireland. We still adjust to rules—which we no longer shape.

We made ourselves weaker and called it strength.

The illusion of “global Britain” collapsed. We gave up access to Europe’s 500 million consumers for trade deals that barely matter. Security followed the same pattern: NATO and bilateral ties keep us safe, but war in Ukraine and US retrenchment are forcing Britain back toward EU defence coordination.

We made ourselves smaller and called it sovereignty.

The charlatans and their slogans—“freedom to trade” and “£350 million a week for the NHS”—have vanished. The damage has not. What remains is our refusal to act.

Not because it works. Not because the facts are unclear. But because we don’t want to admit the mistake and face the humiliation. So we pretend. Politicians warn that rejoining would “betray” democracy—even though the referendum never delivered a coherent mandate for what followed. Democracy is not a suicide pact. It's not a sacred command to persist in failure because it is politically inconvenient to admit we were wrong.

If Brexit conflicts with our national interest, then refusing to undo it is cowardice, not patriotism. Most people admit this. They simply lack the courage to say it—and silence is cheaper. The media and MPs warn that reversing course would “shatter trust”—as if we had any trust left to protect.

If loyalty to Britain means securing jobs, healthcare and security for our children, then patriotism demands we work with Europe again. Young Britons would choose the EU by a landslide; over 80% would vote to rejoin. How dare we lock them into a future we know will be worse!

Leadership does not mean staying the course when the course is off a cliff. It’s doing what is needed when circumstances change—even if it's hard.

But even this is not the real point.

Britain was never only about self-interest. If we claim to stand for a rules-based, democratic, just order, walking away from the only bloc still capable of sustaining it is not greatness. It's a failure of responsibility.

No, the EU is not perfect. That is irrelevant. It is necessary. Europe is the only power capable of countering the authoritarian forces that once again are threatening our peace and our planet.

Brexit was not just economic damage. It was morally reckless. And continuing to defend it is a failure of character. You know this. I know this. The only question is why we are still pretending otherwise.

It's time for Brex-In. Let Farage find something else to shout about.