Just over six years from the day that the British people voted to leave the EU, there are signs that many want a second chance to decide whether this was the better option to improve the quality of their lives. Yet, their political leaders are in no mood to reopen the Brexit debate despite the increasing fragility of Britain’s economy.

A survey by the UK news outlet The Independent found that 65 per cent of people in the UK would like another referendum to be held about the EU. Britons believe the economy, the UK’s global influence and the ability to control its own borders have all got worse since the UK left the single market on December 31, 2020.

The larger political parties, however, show no inclination to question the 2016 decision to leave the bloc. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, will delete EU legislation from the UK law books. Even the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, must believe that reopening the Brexit question is taboo.

Yet, the six-year Brexit hangover is becoming chronic. While Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi all blame COVID and the Ukraine War for the poor performance of the UK economy, there is factual evidence that Brexit is one of the main reasons for sluggish growth.

The UK lags behind the other G7 countries in trade recovery after the pandemic. Business investment, sold as the panacea to a poor growth rate during the Brexit campaign, trails behind other industrialised nations. The OECD predicts that the UK will have the lowest growth in the G20 this year, apart from Russia, which is afflicted by global sanctions.

While few politicians are discussing reversing Brexit altogether, the evidence of Brexit-induced self-harm is starting to pile up. Some are also beginning to ask whether the UK should start exploring ways to soften the edges of its strained relations with the EU.

The trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand have been too small. Nikhil Datta, a London School of Economics researcher, claims: “There is good causal evidence that the depreciation of sterling immediately following the 2016 vote led to higher inflation, specifically for goods Britain imports a lot of.” He adds that the new trade deals, such as the one with Australia, “have been tiny”.

For too long, strong political emotions and nationalistic sentiments have tainted the Brexit debate, which should have been underpinned with cold pragmatic reasoning.

Johnson, who mastered the art of popular communication, promised to put a “crown stamp” on pint glasses in pubs and to allow traders to sell their wares in pounds and ounces. This was good political rhetoric. But it did little to improve the lives of the many Britons who believed that Brexit would do so.

On the immigration front, the UK’s manner of dealing with the crisis has not been much better than the EU’s. While anti-immigration feelings drove many to support Brexit and cut ties with the EU, some high-profile business leaders are now calling on the government to relax the new and tighter immigration rules.

The loss of EU workers in the health, hospitality and agriculture sectors negatively affects productivity and is fuelling inflation.

There is still too much wounded political pride in Britain’s political leaders. So, it is unlikely that the wish of the majority of Britons who want the Brexit question reopened will be entertained.

Hopefully, EU and UK leaders will create a new and friendly relationship for the benefit of all their citizens.