Discussion On Whether Britain Benefits From Brexit

Brexit is one of the most talked about topics in the UK, and it has been for the past few years but the question on everyone’s mind is will Britain benefit from Brexit? On the 23rd of June 2016 there was a referendum asking the nation, should the UK remain in the EU (European Union). The results came in and 51. 9% of voters voted to leave, and 48. 1% chose to leave, it was very close. The UK is set to leave the EU on the 29th of March 2019, but it seems like this date could be pushed back.

One of the benefits of leaving the European Union will bring to Britain is on the economic side of things. To stay in the EU, countries must pay a membership fee. In 2016 the UK government paid £13. 1 billion to the European Union, but it’s estimated that about £4. 5 billion was spent on the UK by the EU, so overall the UK government’s “net contribution” was around £8. 6 billion. The UK would really have to pay £17 billion, but due to a discount called a rebate they get £4 billion off. With the UK scheduled to leave, the government will also have to pay a divorce bill which Theresa May - the Prime Minister - has said could be “up to £40 billion”. However once Britain is out, there will be no membership fees, meaning more money in the economy, and more money that can go towards the NHS, education, housing, defence etc. If all goes to plan then the annual NHS budget will increase by £20. 5 billion pounds by 2023 which will make a massive improvement and get the NHS out of their crisis and certainly in that aspect, improve the UK, which will see massive changes, as at the moment the NHS especially is a bit of a mess.

One of the downsides of Brexit is it will be harder for immigrants to remain in the country, or enter it. A number of EU citizens face being deported, and millions are facing massive uncertainty over their future. “From September 2016 - September 2017, roughly around 5000 EU citizens got deported”. The Home Secretary Sajid David told the 3. 6 million EU immigrants currently living in the UK, they have to register, and pay £65 to stay after Brexit. It sounds simple enough, but for some that may not be the case. If there’s any trouble with them getting that process done they risk being deported. Companies and businesses are losing staff at even the thought of Brexit, so when it actually happens there will be a lot of companies and businesses affected, and some may experience staff shortages, or in extreme cases, go bust due to EU immigrants employed by them fearing what could or will happen to them. In the NHS alone more than 4500 nurses and midwives are planning on leaving the NHS, as it is said that Brexit will have a negative impact on the staffing crisis. 26% of doctors across the NHS are from overseas, and this number will drop due to Brexit, which really isn’t a good sign for the UK.

Another benefit from Brexit is the UK would be allowed to trade with whatever country they want, as long as both sides are happy with the deal. “The EU is a single market”, meaning there is free trade between countries within the EU. With the UK leaving, it opens up a whole lot more possibilities and options for for trade deals with other countries. President Donald Trump has said he wants a “big and exciting trade deal with the UK”, and it’s not just the American leader lining up a possible deal. There are countries like China, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Australia all eyeing up possible trade deals with post-Brexit Britain. Canada’s president - Justin Trudeau - said he wants a “seamless trade deal with the UK” which is really positive, and on top of that Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has said he was “very keen to do a deal with the UK as quickly as possible”, so again that’s very positive and promising. As well as this, it’s still a possibility that the UK could negotiate a possible deal to access the EU single market for goods only, however the UK would have to abide by the European Union’s product regulation, and guarantee not to go against their rules on competition, social policy and the environment. There is only a small chance of this happening, but it is still possible.

Another possible bad consequence of Brexit is the UK splitting up. To be more precise, there’s a chance Scotland could go independent. Every single one of Scotland’s 32 councils voted to remain in the EU, so Scotland as a whole did not get the result they were after from the Brexit referendum. Back in September 2014 Scotland had an independence referendum, however the majority vote was to remain as part of the UK. Nicola Sturgeon, who is the first minister of Scotland and the SNP (Scottish National Party) leader has said herself she wants another independence referendum, and according to a poll done in March 2018 42% of Scots who took part supported her idea. With the people of Scotland clearly wanting to be in the EU, getting independence might seem like a good idea to Scots who have previously voted to remain as part of the UK. So if Scotland does get independence, and wants to join back into the EU it would have to join a list of countries waiting to join. 9. 1% of the UK tax revenue came from Scotland, even though it’s not a huge number, it would still affect the UK economy as a whole.

In conclusion, I think Britain will benefit from Brexit despite a lot of people think it will backfire. If it goes smoothly and good trade deals can go through, I think it will be good and hopefully have a huge positive impact on the NHS. However I think going independent and rejoining would also be good, but I’d rather just stay as part of the UK, and the EU.