Brexit Two Years On: Britain marks second anniversary of vote to quit EU

World
Europe

02:51

Tens-of-thousands of anti-Brexit protesters rallied in London to demand a new vote over leaving the European Union. The mass protests marked two-years since the UK voted to leave the EU. Opponents want a say on the final deal. While Brexit supporters say: stick to the plan. CGTN's Richard Bestic was at that protest and has a look back at Brexit two years on.

It was all so easy then for Britain's Brexiteers when the shock result tumbled there they were catchphrases at the ready.

"We got our country back."

Such innocent times even the then newly installed UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Brexit would be a breeze.

"We will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world."

The world however is still waiting two years on, according to economists.

PROF. JONATHAN PORTES KING'S COLLEGE LONDON "The cabinet still doesn't know what it wants, Parliament doesn't know what it wants and I don't think the British people know what they want. So we really haven't even started negotiating with the EU on what that long term relationship could be. And it's quite amazing. I certainly wouldn't have predicted it."

Hurdles include Brexit's irresistible force meeting the invisible Irish border. And we've all become instant experts in the EU's Customs Union, a good thing - but it comes with strings attached which have the UK tied in knots. In Parliament as elsewhere Brexit remains a hot topic of discussion, but opinions are entrenched.

RICHARD BESTIC LONDON "Two years down the road and the Remain voters are edging ahead of those who want to leave the EU. The problem is most of those voters are young and it's an immovable law of politics that the young simply don't get out to vote."

So, even if Britain did it all over again, opinion polls suggest possibly the same result. John Curtice one of Britain's leading political scientists says the country remains split down the middle from top to bottom.

PROF. JOHN CURTICE, POLITICAL SCIENTIST STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY "Public opinion has proved to be remarkably stable during this period, despite the arguments about what Brexit should mean and how the debate has gradually emerged and despite the fact that the public have indeed become increasingly pessimistic about what Brexit will actually deliver."

That pessimism reinforced this week with news from the airplane manufacturer Airbus that it would have to pull out of the UK if the government fails to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU at a cost of 14,000 highly skilled jobs.

RICHARD BESTIC LONDON "They used to say in this country never talk about religion or politics, it'll just cause upset. Well, guess what, now they've added Brexit to the list. RB CGTN London."