Politicians could have made it work but did not even try
Seven years after Britain's most consequential democratic act in a generation, the leave voters who delivered it have not abandoned their conviction — but they have lost faith in those entrusted to carry it forward. A survey of more than 4,000 leave voters reveals that only 18% believe Brexit has gone well, yet 72% would vote the same way again, a paradox that speaks less to regret than to a deep rupture between democratic will and political execution. What is being mourned here is not the decision itself, but the gap between what was promised and what was built — a wound that, left unattended, risks hollowing out trust in democratic institutions far beyond the question of Europe.
- Only 18% of leave voters believe Brexit has actually succeeded, yet nearly three-quarters say they would cast the same vote again — revealing a crisis of implementation, not conviction.
- Among those disappointed with the outcome, 48% believe politicians could have made Brexit work but deliberately chose not to, a charge that transforms policy failure into perceived betrayal.
- Nigel Farage's declaration that 'Brexit has failed' is finding an audience among disillusioned leavers, channelling their frustration not toward reversing the decision but toward punishing the political class that managed it.
- Economists point to sustained inflation, stagnant growth, and trade drag as Brexit's measurable toll — yet fewer than a third of leave voters attribute economic hardship to the policy itself, insulating the decision from its consequences in the public mind.
- Seventy-two percent of those surveyed say they want to stop talking about Brexit entirely, a collective exhaustion that may explain why opposition parties have quietly stepped back from making it a campaign issue.
- Analysts warn that the real danger is not a push for a second referendum but a broader erosion of faith in politics itself — disillusionment that could outlast Brexit and reshape British democracy in ways yet unseen.
Seven years after the referendum that reshaped British politics, a survey of more than 4,000 leave voters paints a portrait of profound disappointment — not with the decision itself, but with those charged with delivering it. Only 18% believe Brexit has gone well. Another 30% say it has gone neither well nor badly, and a quarter feel it is still too early to judge. Yet when asked whether they would vote the same way again, 72% said yes. The choice has not been repudiated. What has fractured is confidence in the politicians who were meant to honour it.
Among those who believe Brexit has not gone well, nearly half — 48% — say politicians could have made it work but simply did not try. Seven in ten in this group believe it could have succeeded under different leadership. The story that has taken hold is not one of a flawed premise, but of a squandered opportunity. Nigel Farage's recent declaration that 'Brexit has failed' has found traction in precisely this sentiment, translating disappointment into anger at the political establishment rather than into any appetite for reversal.
The economic backdrop is significant. Inflation has remained elevated, growth has stagnated, and economists have repeatedly flagged the drag on trade and investment from Britain's EU departure. Yet fewer than a third of leave voters believe Brexit has had a negative economic impact — a disconnect suggesting that many are not blaming the policy for their hardships, but the way government has managed the transition.
Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe identified the deeper risk: not a second referendum, but a corrosion of faith in democratic institutions themselves. 'Many leave voters believe Brexit has not been a success because politicians have let them down,' he said. 'The danger is that this will lead to an erosion of faith in politics and politicians.' Compounding this, 72% of those surveyed said they simply want to stop discussing Brexit altogether — an exhaustion that may explain why neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats have made it a centrepiece of their campaigns. The issue that consumed British politics for years has become something the electorate wishes to leave behind, even as their trust in those who handled it remains deeply, perhaps lastingly, shaken.
Seven years after the referendum that upended British politics, the picture emerging from voters who backed leaving the European Union is one of profound disappointment—not necessarily with the decision itself, but with how it was carried out. A new survey of more than 4,000 leave voters found that only 18% believe Brexit has actually succeeded. Another 30% say it has gone neither well nor badly. A quarter remain uncertain, saying it is still too early to judge. The polling, conducted by Public First for the thinktank UK in a Changing Europe, captures a moment of reckoning among the coalition that won the 2016 referendum.
What is striking is not that leave voters have abandoned their choice. When asked whether they would vote the same way again, knowing everything they know now, 72% said yes. The decision itself has not been repudiated. What has fractured is confidence in the people tasked with executing it. Among those who believe Brexit has not gone well, nearly half—48%—say that politicians could have made it work but simply did not try. Seven in ten in this group believe Brexit could have succeeded under different leadership. The narrative that has taken hold is not one of a flawed premise, but of a botched implementation.
The economic backdrop to this disillusionment is substantial. Inflation has remained stuck at historic highs. GDP growth has stagnated. Economists have issued repeated warnings about the continuing drag on trade and investment from Britain's departure from the EU. Yet fewer than a third of leave voters polled—29%—believe Brexit has had a negative economic impact. This disconnect between expert assessment and voter perception suggests that many leave voters are not blaming the policy itself for economic headwinds, but rather the way government has managed the transition.
The figure of Nigel Farage looms over this discontent. The former UK Independence Party leader has recently declared that "Brexit has failed," a statement that resonates with a particular segment of leave voters who feel betrayed. His framing—that the political establishment has squandered an opportunity—appears to be gaining traction among those disappointed with the outcome. Yet even Farage's critique does not translate into a desire to reverse course. It translates instead into anger at politicians.
The Conservative Party has borne the brunt of this management burden. The past seven years have seen the party torn apart by Brexit-related disputes. Theresa May's premiership collapsed under the weight of negotiating Britain's exit. Boris Johnson won an 80-seat majority in 2019 by promising to "get Brexit done"—a slogan that captured the public's exhaustion with the endless wrangling. Yet even that decisive victory has not resolved the underlying tensions or satisfied leave voters that the job was done well.
Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe, sees a deeper danger in this pattern. "While very few people think Brexit is going well, a large number of leavers also believe it is still too soon to make a definitive judgment," he said. "Many leave voters believe Brexit has not been a success because politicians have let them down. The danger is that this will lead to an erosion of faith in politics and politicians." The risk is not that voters will demand a second referendum, but that they will lose faith in the political system itself.
Yet there is also a fatigue evident in the data. Seventy-two percent of those polled said they wanted to stop discussing Brexit altogether. The appetite for relitigating the decision, or even for continued debate about its implementation, appears exhausted. Rachel Wolf, a founding partner of Public First, observed that the public mood is captured in the phrase that won Johnson his majority: "Get Brexit done"—meaning not that it should be reversed, but that people want to move on and stop talking about it. This may explain why neither Labour nor the Liberal Democrats have made Brexit a centerpiece of their recent campaigning. The issue that dominated British politics for years has become something the electorate wishes to put behind them, even if their confidence in how it was handled remains deeply shaken.
Citas Notables
Many leave voters believe Brexit has not been a success because politicians have let them down. The danger is that this will lead to an erosion of faith in politics and politicians.— Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
So leave voters still wouldn't change their vote, but they think it's been badly done. That's an unusual position. What does that tell us?
It tells us the decision itself has become almost tribal. People aren't reconsidering the fundamental choice—they're angry at the people who were supposed to execute it. It's less about Brexit being wrong and more about politicians failing them.
But if nearly half think politicians could have made it work but didn't try, are they saying it was sabotaged?
Not quite sabotage, but negligence. They believe there was a path to a successful Brexit that required better negotiation, better planning, better will. Instead they got seven years of infighting and chaos.
Why doesn't that translate into wanting to reverse the decision?
Because reversing it would mean admitting they were wrong. It's easier to say the politicians were wrong. And honestly, most people are just tired. They want it over with, not relitigated.
Is this dangerous for democracy?
Menon thinks so. If people lose faith that politicians can execute anything competently, that erodes something fundamental. You end up with voters who feel let down by the entire system, not just one policy.
And yet they don't want to talk about it anymore.
Exactly. They want it gone. That's its own kind of damage—not active anger, but exhaustion and distrust.