B y Gully Foyle, paperback, 222 pages, ISBN 978-1-917743-11-2, The Bruges Group, 2025, £11.99.
This extremely useful book details many of the tangible benefits we have gained from leaving the EU. Brexit has saved us billions in EU fees and membership costs; Brexit has returned our independence in fishing, farming, animal welfare and the environment; Brexit means better trade; Brexit means we run our own country again – decisions about Britain are made in Britain; Brexit means a better economy; Brexit means we can control our own borders; and Brexit has strengthened our defences and world standing. The author provides 25 pages of references which present the evidence sustaining each claimed benefit.
Leaving the EU has enabled us significantly to improve animal welfare. We have completely banned the testing of chemicals on animals when used solely in cosmetics. By contrast, within the EU, its bans on such testing were not implemented: in 2023 EU courts ruled that two cosmetic-only ingredients "had to" be tested on animals, despite the EU testing 'ban'. Over 400 cosmetic-only chemicals are currently registered under EU law, and thousands of animals have been tested on for these chemicals.
Shark finning is a barbaric practice where sharks are de-finned then thrown back into the sea to die, purely for the export of the fins into the Asian-Pacific market where they are used in 'alternative' medicines (that is, medicines that don't work). The EU had introduced a partial ban in 2003, but the trade just carried on. Between January 2017 and July 2019 Britain exported 50 tonnes of shark fin to Spain, from where it would be re-exported to China. Leaving the EU allowed us to introduce a more effective bill – the Shark Fins Act 2023 - that completely banned the import and export of illegally harvested shark fins.
The global fur trade killed about 7 million animals for UK imports between 2019 and 2023. EU Single Market rules require equal treatment regarding the sale of goods produced within an EU member state. Many EU member states – for example Spain, Poland, Finland and Greece – still have a legal fur industry, and so, when we were still an EU member, we had to allow furs to be legally sold in Britain. Now we can ban this unpopular trade: a Private Members' Bill to ban the sale in and import of furs is due for its Second Reading on 27 February.
We banned the production of traditionally-made foie gras in 2006, but, because of Single Market rules, we couldn't ban its import and sale here. A 2024 YouGov poll found 85 per cent support for an import ban. A UK ban would save some 250,000 birds a year from this cruel procedure. Labour pledged to bring in such a ban, but has not yet done so.
The breeding and smuggling of pets, especially dogs, within the EU, is a billion-euro industry that sees intensive breeding of popular breeds in inhumane conditions to feed demand. Being outside the EU, we can stop this problem from crossing our borders. The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act was passed last December.
Our exports to the Commonwealth in 2022 increased by 23 per cent to over £90 billion, while our imports from the Commonwealth increased by 30 per cent to over £74 billion.
The EU takes on average 7 to 10 years to complete a trade deal. Our average is now under two years.
In the decade before we left the EU, annual customs revenue at our borders varied between £2-3 billion, of which we kept just a fifth. Customs revenue in 2022/23 was £5.5 billion and we kept it all.
The founder of BioNTech, Oziem Tureci, said, "we have seen in the Covid-19 pandemic that the [post-Brexit] regulatory authority is exceptional. And then there is the genomic-analysis capabilities. The UK is one of the leading nations in that regard."
EU advocate Nick Clegg recently admitted, "Europe should be the perfect place for global companies to invest, build technologies and release products. Instead, Europeans are getting access to technology later than the rest of the world." (Le Monde, 20 December 2024, 'When it comes to making AI available to Europeans, EU regulators are still moving at a snail's pace.')
An EU directive required all standard car drivers to pass an extra driving test to tow a trailer. Brexit allowed us to remove this unnecessary overhead, cutting costs for drivers and freeing up over 30,000 driving test slots a year.
In April 2021 there was an attempt to create a Super League of European football. Six British clubs signed up, but the idea was so unpopular that within three days the clubs ducked out of the proposed League. FIFA and UEFA shut it down, but in December 2023 the European Court of Justice ruled that their actions were unlawful. We can ignore that ruling now that we are out of the EU, and without British clubs the League has no future.
Nearly 95 per cent of in-store payments in 2023 were by contactless card. Our limit is £100, the EU's is 50 euros - £42 – the lower EU limit would all too often make us use slower and less convenient ways to pay.
Brexit allowed us to use 'golden shares' to protect our national interests in privatised companies deemed vital to the economy, infrastructure or security, such as utilities, postal services or defence firms. The idea of a golden share within a business with a government power to veto its actions contravenes a core EU principle – the free movement of capital.
Hospitality, construction, haulage/logistics and social care have all seen above inflation wage increases and improvements to job conditions, to encourage and retain the domestic workforce in those professions. In February 2025 the Financial Times published an article entitled 'Whatever happened to the great truck driver shortage?' It noted that the reduction in the number of drivers from the EU had delivered a pay rise for truck drivers.
The Nuclear Economics Consulting Group's evidence to the Inquiry on Financing Energy Infrastructure stated, "If the UK remains in the EU, or leaves the EU but continues to be bound by certain State Aid provisions, then most options for new nuclear power investment will be challenging." As Foyle comments, "This newfound flexibility allows the government to accelerate critical nuclear projects, positioning the RAB [Regulated Asset Base] model as a more effective and efficient solution for bolstering energy security in the post-Brexit era."
Brexit made it harder for EU criminals to enter the country. The ending of freedom of movement for EU citizens within Britain allowed us to apply UK entry rights to EU citizens, including our default refusal of entry where someone has been in prison for a year or more. This equal treatment of all criminals contributed to a five-fold increase of over 12,000 EU citizens being refused entry in both 2023 and 2024.
Since leaving the EU, Britain has improved its score on the Global Soft Power index compiled by Brand Finance (the world's leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy) and now ranks second in the world.
Brexit clearly did not solve all Britain's problems. But it opened the way to our doing so.