13 September 2026
Sveva Spadavecchia
Brexit's 10th Birthday: Is the UK ever "coming home"?
“Leaving London with a deeper understanding of UK politics, I decided to put my experience to good use at the Council of the European Union. Contributing to a renewed and stronger relationship between the UK and the EU felt like the most meaningful way to bring together my European identity and my love for the country that raised and shaped me“
Ten years ago, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, claiming to be better off without the expensive and loosely integrated bloc. This meant giving up the rights that came with membership, most notably the four freedoms of movement of people, goods, services, and capital. Young people were among those most affected. Europeans had to say goodbye to Erasmus programmes in the land of scones and afternoon tea, while EU students suddenly faced international tuition fees at UK universities, often reaching £20,000–30,000 a year.
Building a future in the UK after completing their studies also became increasingly difficult, particularly with the introduction of the sponsorship system, which places additional costs and administrative responsibilities on UK employers hiring workers from overseas. And the impact has extended beyond education and migration: travel has become more complicated, with new border and entry requirements, while the UK and EU continue to negotiate a range of unresolved issues affecting their relationship, from food and trade standards to mobility and the implementation of new border systems.
In Brussels, Brexit was widely regarded as a profound political and economic setback, against the backdrop of an increasingly unstable period in British politics. Prime minister Boris Johnson faced one political challenge after another, alongside a succession of scandals, while the prospect of his resignation grew increasingly likely. Against this backdrop, uncertainty also continued to surround the ongoing negotiations over the EU-UK future.
Yet, after Rishi Sunak’s short-lived premiership, the Labour Party’s victory in the 2024 general election initially appeared to signal a shift in the UK’s relationship with the EU. Rather than moving towards a renewed commitment to the four freedoms, the new government initially seemed to be positioning the UK further away from the EU politically. This shift, however, was not to last long.
In May 2025, Prime Minister Starmer and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met at the first UK-EU summit since Brexit, with the purpose of resetting EU-UK relations, which until then had been no more than cordial. Since then, significant steps have been taken to foster cooperation on different matters, overcoming tensions and respective red lines.
The summit marked a new chapter in the relationship, with both sides committing to deeper cooperation across areas including security and defence, trade, and economic growth.
Britain’s political turmoil, however, has not helped. During his two years in power, Starmer has remained in the spotlight for one controversy after another, from the Mandelson scandal and Winter Fuel Payment cuts to Angela Rayner’s “tax error”, the stamp duty controversy, and immigration reforms. On top of this, the Welsh elections appeared to herald the growing popularity of Reform UK, which made significant gains in devolved politics, becoming the second-largest party in the Senedd (Welsh devolved parliament), as well as in Scottish Holyrood, gaining the same number of seats as Labour, after the National SNP.
The increasing popularity of the far-right Reform UK has also pushed European leaders towards a more cautious approach to the UK-EU reset, amid fears that a future government led by Nigel Farage could seek to overturn agreements reached by the current government. The durability of the reset therefore remains closely tied to Britain’s domestic political trajectory.
The right-wing turn is not a UK tendency alone. Across Europe, we can clearly see a broader trend towards the far right, with opinion polls showing Marine Le Pen remaining a strong contender for the 2027 French presidential election despite her conviction. In Italy, the growing strength of the radical right is also reshaping the political landscape because of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meanwhile, Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland has continued to make significant gains, emerging as a major force in German politics and raising questions about the future of the country’s political establishment.
However, the leadership change triggered by Andy Burnham’s election as the MP for Makerfield, followed by his election as Labour leader and subsequent appointment as the seventh Prime Minister in ten years, has begun to change the political picture. More importantly, it appears to have restored some of the hope that had been lost under Labour. Whether the “King of the North” will live up to his new role remains a question for the future.
Burnham has so far kept a relatively low profile on foreign policy, but he will need to establish good relations with his European counterparts. This was something Starmer sought to do until the very end of his premiership, including during his final visit to Paris on Bastille Day, which coincided with a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”.
His successor will therefore need to set a clear agenda for delivering concrete improvements to the EU-UK relationship. So far, when asked about future relations with the Union during his first PMQs, he has focused primarily on UK steel and farming.
Burnham has built his political reputation around law and order and investment in infrastructure beyond the capital, drawing inspiration from approaches taken in Spain and France.
His priorities as Prime Minister are likely to be shaped by the cost-of-living crisis, defence in the aftermath of the conflict with Iran, education, and irregular migration across the Channel, while his broader ambition to rebalance economic and political power away from London has also been central to his political identity.
As Burnham tries to establish himself as the new Prime Minister after a turbulent summer, the political fortunes of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have also shifted. Although it remains a major political force, the party has recently fallen behind Labour in voting-intention polls. This may offer some breathing room for the new government, but it also highlights how quickly the political landscape can change. For now, the direction of Britain’s relationship with Europe remains closely tied to the domestic political balance, and to whether the country chooses to look inward or rebuild its place within the European project
Ten years on, Brexit has proved far more complicated than the clean break promised by its advocates. What was presented as a definitive departure has instead become an ongoing process of renegotiation, with the UK and the EU gradually rebuilding ties while navigating the political constraints on both sides. The progress made in recent months suggests that a closer relationship is possible, but the rise of Reform UK and the broader shift to the right across Europe show how fragile that progress can be.
For those of us who have grown up between Britain and Europe, the question is therefore not simply whether the UK will ever rejoin the EU. It is whether it can find a new place within Europe that reflects both its political reality and the ties that Brexit could never fully sever. After ten years of uncertainty, perhaps “coming home” does not necessarily mean going back to where we started, but finding a way forward that brings the UK and Europe closer together again.