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Thursday, February 13, 2025

Five Years After Brexit Scotland Still Pays The Price

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Five years on from being dragged out of the EU against its will, Scotland is still feeling the economic and social pain of Brexit, and new research lays bare the extent of the damage.

The House of Commons Library, commissioned by the SNP, has released new findings that highlight just how much Brexit has cost the UK, with Scotland among the hardest-hit regions.

Since 2019, the UK’s GDP growth has been almost 2% lower than that of the EU, with every UK citizen now estimated to be losing around £750 a year due to Brexit.

Exports to the EU have plummeted by 18%, while non-EU exports have dropped by 15%, leaving UK trade struggling under the weight of new red tape and restrictions.

For the first time since 2010, UK exports to the EU are now worth less in monetary value than in any year before Brexit, a staggering reality for businesses that relied on frictionless trade.

Food prices have skyrocketed by 25% since Brexit, with experts calculating that without leaving the EU, the increase would have been just 17%, meaning UK households are paying a heavy price at the checkout.

Vital EU funding has been slashed, with the UK losing out on £16 billion since 2020, leaving Scotland’s businesses and research sectors scrambling to replace lost investment.

In crucial industries like hospitality and agriculture, the workforce has taken a hit, with a severe drop in the number of EU workers willing to navigate the UK’s increasingly hostile immigration policies.

Between 2012 and 2016, the UK received an average of £1.38 billion per year in EU research funding, but that figure has now collapsed to just £93 million annually between 2022 and 2024.

The Scottish Government’s own analysis estimates that Brexit trade barriers could cost Scotland’s economy £4 billion, a significant blow to businesses still reeling from years of economic instability.

Despite these mounting costs, the UK Government and Labour opposition remain silent on Brexit’s five-year anniversary, refusing to conduct a new economic impact assessment of the damage inflicted.

SNP Europe spokesperson Stephen Gethins MP slammed Westminster’s “deliberate and damaging denial” of Brexit’s effects, saying it has hit people in the pocket, hurt businesses, and weakened relationships with Scotland’s European neighbours.

Gethins pointed out that Labour leader Keir Starmer talks about resetting relations with the EU, but refuses to back the only real solution—rejoining the single market and customs union.

He warned that ignoring the reality of Brexit for another five years will only deepen the damage, urging Labour to face the facts and act before it is too late.

SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown was even more direct, stating that Scotland’s path back to the EU can only come through independence.

He reminded voters that in 2014, the No campaign promised that the only way to protect Scotland’s place in Europe was by rejecting independence, yet Scotland was forced out anyway despite an overwhelming 62% Remain vote.

Brown pointed to the undeniable consequences of Brexit—less trade, higher costs, and fewer opportunities for young Scots—and accused Westminster parties of backing Brexit out of fear of losing votes in England.

With Labour and the Tories both locked into Brexit dogma, the SNP is making it clear that only an independent Scotland can rejoin the EU and restore the freedoms and economic stability lost in the last five years.

The question now is, how much longer will Scotland be forced to pay the price for a decision it never wanted?

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