This Is What Brexit Cost the World

In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Ten years later, Bloomberg Originals unpacks the economic cost of Brexit and the political forces it unleashed. The Brexit vote sparked a surge in populism and triggered years of parliamentary deadlock that crippled a series of prime ministers. We examine the factors that drove the Leave vote, and how it changed politics both in the UK and around the world. We also use Bloomberg Economics modeling to analyze its impact on the UK economy. The conventional wisdom has always been that Britain’s exit would be a financial calamity. We do the math to see whether that’s true. Far from settling the issue for a generation, Brexit continues to loom large over British politics, with the matter of Britain’s relationship with the EU still high on the domestic agenda. Meanwhile, with the US under Donald Trump retreating from old alliances, Britain and its European allies are confronting their most challenging geopolitical moment since the end of the Cold War. Indeed, in the years since leaving the EU, successive UK prime ministers have sought closer alignment with Brussels. Some recent polling even suggests a growing majority of the British public would now vote to rejoin the bloc. Any attempts to do so would be met by fierce resistance, however, with one of the foremost architects of Brexit, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, now a favorite to become the country’s next prime minister. Explore these and other related stories in more depth on Bloomberg.com: The Day That Changed the World https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-05-29/how-britain-europe-and-the-west-were-changed-by-brexit What Reversing Brexit Would Mean for the UK Economy https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-06-09/what-rolling-back-brexit-vote-would-mean-for-the-uk-economy 00:00: Introduction 02:38: Title Card 02:43: The Vote 03:34 Market Reaction and Initial Shock 04:31 Campaign Tensions 05:06 Motivations for Brexit 06:02 Competing Visions of Leave 06:43 Bloomberg Economics Modeling 09:15 The Economic Upside? 10:11 Political Instability 12:52 The Immigration Debate 15:27 Global Consequences and Rise of Populism 16:57 The Politics of Anger 17:34 Future Possibilities and EU Relations 19:13 Conclusion: Lessons and Legacy #Brexit #UK #Politics -------- Like this video? Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg?sub_confirmation=1 Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com for just $1.99 your first month: https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions?in_source=YoutubeOriginals Bloomberg Originals offers bold takes for curious minds on today’s biggest topics. Hosted by experts covering stories you haven’t seen and viewpoints you haven’t heard, you’ll discover cinematic, data-led shows that investigate the intersection of business and culture. Exploring every angle of climate change, technology, finance, sports and beyond, Bloomberg Originals is business as you’ve never seen it. Subscribe for business news, but not as you've known it: exclusive interviews, fascinating profiles, data-driven analysis, and the latest in tech innovation from around the world. Visit our partner channel Bloomberg News for global news and insight in an instant.