the higher lens : 11
How can our government respond to international challenges facing a post- Brexit Britain?
Brexit has undeniably shaken the pre-established order of the UK and its proceedings, in both domestic and international institutions. The stability that citizens of the United Kingdom had known since 1973 was willingly removed, with the next steps left in the hands of a government unsure of how to continue into unprecedented territory. Whilst the target was presented as simple and achievable, the instability that followed meant the government could not charter a path to Brexit without barriers and delays. The nation grew tired and leaders rotated, each with a solution, but scarce support. With the hindsight of 2025, in the following presentation I will discuss and analyse the contemporary position of the UK, possible solutions to bring stability, and whether the goals we so desperately wish to see achieved, are within the capabilities of the nation and the available resources.
Prior to leaving the EU, the UK held 71 seats in the European Parliament, representing one of the largest voices in the institution, following Germany, France and Italy. This weighting meant that the UK had a strong ability to advocate for supported policies, propping up a larger voice on a global level. The UK also had common trade policy with 70 other countries, which is highly beneficial to an import dependent country. The nation was also not only protected through NATO’s defence, but was also involved in other security missions such as PESCO, which allowed for closer defence cooperation. The overarching benefit of these structures was the soft power available to the UK government. In a world which consists of mostly democratic states, open to international negotiations and policy making, soft power is invaluable. It allows for favourable relations, which are becoming increasingly necessary in an unstable global political climate.
Moving onto a post Brexit Britain, we must understand the changes that have occurred. We are now highly dependent on NATO for national security, and are now at the hands of their choices. This has recently materialised as pledges to increase defence spending. There is also an increasing dependence on the G7 for credibility and voice on a global stage, however trends show that the G7 is set to be overtaken by the newer Emerging 7 in coming years, meaning relying on declining economies does not provide sustainable clout for the UK. Whilst trade policy is independent, who the UK wishes to trade with is a more difficult list to decide.Primarily, in Britain today there is much strategic confusion. What should we be? Who should we align with? Without clear direction and authority, it has proven difficult for a government to be united moving into a new era.
In 2025, looking back to Brexit, it is hard to understand why the majority of the country voted for it. However, the aims of Brexit were made appealing to the public, particularly by Eurosceptic members of parliament. The most influential figures of the leave campaign were Boris Johnson, alongside Michael Gove, and the long time eurosceptic, well known for his tireless spreading of misinformation, Nigel Farage. Boris Johnson was well known for his misleading campaign in which he displayed a message on a bus implying that by leaving the EU we could invest £350m more in the NHS per week. Campaigns like these were given to the public to direct their attention towards the proposed aims of Brexit, and invoke emotion in citizens. The benefits of leaving the EU were advertised as regaining sovereignty, independence and democratic accountability. However, the manner in which we chose to leave the EU has caused much delay in achieving any of these aims.
As mentioned, one of the proposed advantages of being independent from the EU was that the government would be able to make decisions to benefit our country, and give citizens what they want. However, this proves difficult when the UK is not sure what we want. Polarisation has become a trend since the mid 2010s, and the topic of Brexit exacerbated this. Countless debates and meetings were
held to understand which direction Britain should leave in, however it proved difficult for any leader to unite a party. Furthermore, this level of gridlock made the country appear weak on an international scale. A country overcome by internal squabbles is an unlikely trade partner. The Pound fell by 11% in the year following the Brexit vote, thus impacting the economy multilaterally, in terms of consumer
prices and consequently interest rates. The UK has also found it difficult to achieve the aims of Brexit due to the changing nature of our political environment. The Brexit referendum was proposed and voted for during a time of relatively stable growth, politics and international relations. In 2015 growth was at 2.2%, within the bounds of maintainable growth. However between 2015 and 2025, growth has fluctuated over 15%, with negative growth through some parts of covid, and inflation reaching 11% during the fallout.
The foreign political environment has also proven to be challenging to navigate. The war between Ukraine and Russia continues to cause economic issues, contributing to the fluctuations in inflation, but also deterred the UK from its path post-Brexit. We also mustn't overlook the terrifying conflicts in the middle east and global south. The palestinian conflict, the Iranian resistance to Israel operations on the West Bank, the rapid developments in Myanmar since 2021, territorial control in Colombia, the list goes on. Since 2023, conflict event rates have risen by 25%, resulting in global instability and concern.
Without a united parliamentary front it is difficult to face these many issues, as gridlock makes for slow progress. With the struggles of the past decade, we must now look to the future to understand what can be done. Whilst our position may be a difficult and precarious one, through time it is not impossible to untangle our political web.
The nation needs two main solutions: stability and cooperation As emphasised, one of the main struggles is instability. We as a nation must create a stable environment for politics to operate within. A system in which the public are not disillusioned, and the government works cohesively.
Primarily, the nation must decide on a direction. For example, according to Risoli (2022) there are 5 main directions the UK can take:
1, Global Britain, a strong independent power with many trade links
2, A regional EU partner
3, a Great Power, similar to Global Britain but with a military focus
4, a Commonwealth leader
Or 5, Power by proxy to the US
These are just 5 examples of the many roads to success the government could take. Whilst there are benefits and drawbacks of each, they all have in common, direction. With a clear direction and goal set, it is easier for the government to set efficient targets, and for the opposition to debate these with logic and reason, rather than bitterness and hate. Furthermore, it will be easier for the public to
understand what their eg taxes are being used for, or why regulations have changed. The direction is not supposed to be a goal which everyone agrees will be successful, but is rather a goal to hold a benchmark to the future.
Moving on to the secondary chapter of the solution, cooperation:
One of the key missing factors to our success is our international cooperation. By having a stable focus in place, the UK can then move onto using this to coordinate with other nations. Horrifying though it may be, the political conflict in the US, and military conflict elsewhere has retied some
loose ends from the UK to the rest of Europe. We remain in contact with many EU member states due to the continued threat posed by Russia. The impact of a common enemy has been beneficial to UK EU relations, once again by setting a collective target. Additionally, it is possible that this increase in military spending along with NATO targets can positively impact economic growth, taking Russia's flawed defence spending as example. The 11 CPTPP members are also possible trade agreement partners, who we may be able to effectively trade with, particularly because the members have far different economies than our own, and thus have many other goods and services to offer. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan who served until his death in 2022 claimed that trade with Britain would be ‘welcome with open arms’, signallying a positive reception around the world.
In a globalised world an attempt to isolate ourselves is not only poorly presented, but ineffective. Now in the position that Brexit has put us, we must decide how best to use the remaining relations efficiently, and also carefully create new connections. It is possible to use Brexit to our advantage when a cohesive and united government is willing. Diplomacy from our government must be used to present a new Britain that is open to international relations, and will not let nostalgia for a past era of dominance, override its sense of pragmatism and duty to its citizens.
Clio Harris