‘Absolute nightmare’: Brexit bellwether constituencies revisited 10 years on
The Guardian revisited five former bellwether constituencies to assess how residents view Brexit ten years after the 2016 vote. In Torridge and West Devon, a fishing business owner describes the post‑Brexit regulatory burden and costs as a disaster and regrets his leave vote. In Ceredigion, the former Liberal Democrat MP links his electoral loss to Brexit and notes the closure of a university campus and reduced EU funding.
- ▪The Guardian revisited five constituencies that were highlighted during the 2016 EU referendum to gauge current attitudes toward Brexit.
- ▪Tony Rutherford, a fishing‑industry entrepreneur in Torridge and West Devon, says Brexit has imposed costly customs procedures, VAT registration in France and lost shipments, leading him to call the outcome an "absolute nightmare" and to re
- ▪Former Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams says the Brexit result contributed to his defeat in the 2017 election, and he points to the loss of EU funding and the closure of the University of Wales, Lampeter as evidence of the referendum’s loc
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David Milne voted leave to try to save the UK fishing industry – to have more say over what happened in our waters. ‘We was promised that, but that hasn’t happened,’ he says. Composite: Guardian DesignView image in fullscreenDavid Milne voted leave to try to save the UK fishing industry – to have more say over what happened in our waters. ‘We was promised that, but that hasn’t happened,’ he says. Composite: Guardian DesignBrexit vote: 10 years onBrexit‘Absolute nightmare’: Brexit bellwether constituencies revisited 10 years on From north-east Scotland to Romford, London, what do those who spoke to the Guardian during the referendum campaign make of how it all panned out?Daniel Boffey, Bethan McKernan, Severin Carrell and Sammy GecsoylerMon 22 Jun 2026 07.06 EDTLast modified on Mon 22 Jun…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at World news | The Guardian.