Has Brexit damaged UK industry?

Ten years on from the referendum, the debate is still dominated by politics. But what does the evidence actually show?

In this episode, Rob Gilbert examines the Brexit balance sheet for British industry. He looks at the impact on trade, productivity and investment, and explores what the new trading relationship has meant for automotive, agriculture and food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, defence and financial services.

The evidence points to a real economic cost, particularly for goods-producing sectors and smaller exporters. But Brexit did not begin Britain’s industrial decline, and many of the constraints blamed on Brussels were in fact the result of domestic political choices.

The episode also considers the opportunities created by regulatory autonomy, new trade agreements and greater freedom to support strategic industries — and why those freedoms have yet to produce a meaningful industrial dividend.

The central question is no longer whether Brexit was right or wrong. It is how Britain now works with its European allies, uses its independence where it creates genuine value, and rebuilds the industrial capability on which prosperity, security and national power depend.

How We Build Britain is independently produced. The views expressed are Rob Gilbert’s own and do not represent Baringa, Great British Energy or the UK Government.

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