Thread by @TerraOrBust

TANGIBLE BREXIT BENEFITS: 18 MONTHS LATER 🧵

In March 2022, I was asked to provide 10 "Tangible Benefits" of leaving the EU. So over the course of a lunch break I wrote a list of 10 and sent it over.

Since then it has been shared thousands of times, and even made the press.

Since that time in March 2022, as more benefits came to fruition, I have done the research - and those where I was able to confidently demonstrate and verify a true Brexit benefit as existing, I added to the list.

Today I’m adding the 30th item onto the list. Triple the original challenge.

So to celebrate the task having been delivered many times over, and to reflect that time has passed and some items in the list needed updating as to current status, I have decided to rewrite the full 30 items in a new post - so please, sit back and enjoy.

Also worth noting that I have been asked many times to back up these claims, and many times I have provided the evidence – but this time through I will include the source material within the tweets, so you can see it for yourself.

Link: The original thread -
Link: The “One Year Later” thread -
Link: The Daily Express article:

Before I proceed to the list itself.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list - merely one which I can say that I have fully researched and can defend as being truly a benefit of leaving the EU.

That is not to say that disbenefits do not exist - merely that benefits *definitely* do.

Oh and credit where it is due to all of you who have helped over the last few years in cultivating this list, and thanks to for the one or two AI images used in this opening.

Thanks! Onto the list!

1

From a trade deal perspective, the UK previously had access to around 43 active trade deals as part of EU membership – a membership that, as one of the largest net contributors it paid billions each year for.

The UK has replicated all but 3 of these (Bosnia, Montenegro, Algeria) and no longer has to pay the EU a subscription fee to access any of them.

Link: The EUs trade deals -
Link: The UKs trade deals -

2

Since leaving the EU, the UK has improved the rolled over deals with Japan, Singapore and Ukraine - and is in the process of improvement with Canada, Mexico, Switzerland and Israel.

As well as striking completely new deals with Australia and New Zealand, the UK is also close to completion on FTA negotiations with India and the six-nation GCC – all not possible within the EU.

Link: More on the Japan deal -
Link: More on the Singapore deal -

3

By leaving the EU, the UK has been able to align with those markets projecting the highest growth over the coming decades (the so-called Indo-Pacific tilt), as opposed to being tied to a bloc projected to see declining relevance and stagnation.

UK CPTPP accession was signed earlier this year, with ratification expected by Q4 2024.

Link: UK Signs CPTPP -

4

As an EU member state, 75% of *all* customs revenue (it was 80% when UK was a member) goes to the budget of the EU.

Now outside of the EU, the UK HMRC gets 100% of that revenue to spend on public services, currently around £3bn extra a year.

Link: EU Customs Duties Contributions

5

Since 2019, EU members have been unable to trade in Swiss equities due to a ban having been put in place.

Outside of the EU, the UK was able to return this trading, which is worth about £1.6bn a day, and so about £8m a day to HMRC.

That's just over £2bn a year in additional tax revenue, to spend on public services.

Link: Reuters article on ban lifting for London -

6

Latest available figures show that in the year to March 2022, the Department for International Trade resolved 192 trade barriers in 79 countries.

Just 45 of these alone were estimated to be worth around £5 billion to businesses across the UK over the next five years.

That's £1bn a year of extra revenue for UK businesses, just from these 45 trade barrier removals, thanks to leaving the EU.

Link: Answer to Written Question in HoC -

7

In the FY ending March 2023, in the LATAM region alone, the UK was able to remove a further 34 trade barriers to UK exporters - with 24 of these having been forecast to be worth £1.3 billion to the UK economy.

These changes would not be possible from inside the EU.

Link: Trade minister visit to Peru and Colombia -

8

In April this year the UK put into place its Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which has seen the UK able to provide aid through encouraging trade with 65 developing nations across the globe - going further than EU GSP+ and EBA schemes.

This was simply not possible to do from within the EU.

Link: Government docs on the DCTS -

9

As of this summer, the departure from the EU had allowed the UK to remove tariffs completely on 47% of all product lines entering the UK, making products cheaper for UK consumers.

In the EU, the level is 27% - that's 20% more product lines that are cheaper for UK importers and ultimately UK consumers.

10

As a consequence of leaving EU, the UK has been able to reduce trade barriers with its global partners, meaning it now has less barriers to trade than it did as an EU member.

As a consequence, the UK jumped to 4th place in the 2021 trade barriers index for how free its trade is.

Link: Tholos Trade Barrier Index 2021 -

11

In 2019, as a member of the EU, the UK wasn't even in the top 10 OECD countries on their Services Trade Restrictiveness Index.

In 2022, having been able to liberalise in multiple sectors outside of the EU, the UK is now ranking 2nd only to Japan.

Link: OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index -

12

On migration - leaving the EU has allowed the UK to offer a truly fair points-based immigration policy, that does not unduly favour predominantly white Europeans over those from other nations.

UK policy now treats everyone the same, irrespective of their country of birth.

Link: UK points-based migration policy -

13

Staying with migration - the new points-based system as implemented has resulted in the UK having a significantly higher as regards attractiveness for highly skilled workers from the OECD, "owing to changes to the migration regime introduced after Brexit" - that the UK was only able to do, having left the EU.

Link: OECD Talent Attractiveness Index -

14

Sticking with global rankings - on leaving the EU, the UK soft power rating increased, and is now second only to the USA.

On leaving the EU, the UK score on Governance went from 9th up to 4th, leapfrogging Germany in the process.

Link: Global Soft Power Index 2023 -

15

Leaving the EU has made the UK a more important strategic ally in terms of geopolitics, not less.

Not my words, those of economist and former Special Advisor to the US President, Pippa Malmgren.

Link: Spotify Podcast Episode open.spotify.com/episode/0BParn…

16

The UK has rolled out an Advance Valuation Ruling Service (AVRS), giving importers legal certainty that their chosen customs valuation method are correct, and "reducing their administrative burden".

This would not be possible inside the EU Customs Union.

Link: UK AVRS Policy -

17

Leaving the EU has allowed the UK to develop fully digitised international trade solutions with like-minded partners in the CPTPP such as Singapore, culminating in the world first accomplishment only weeks ago.

These changes will make trading cheaper, easier and more secure for UK businesses

Link: UK-Singapore World First Digitalised Shipment -
Link: Straits Times article -

18

As found by the NFFO "Brexit Balance Sheet" report in September 2021, the UK fishing industry as a whole is now better off by over £50 million a year, than it was when inside the EU.

With this figure increasing with each year that passes, as more quotas are returned to the UK fishing fleet.

Link: My explainer thread -
Link: NFFO Brexit Balance sheet Report -

19

In March of 2022, the then Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that VAT would be reduced to zero on green energy purchases such as solar panels and heat pumps.

A member state could not independently implement such a VAT policy from within the EU. Would not be possible due to EU rules on VAT and taxation.

Link: Independent article -
Link: FullFact article -

20

Leaving the EU allowed for the UK to implement proper full-blooded freeports across the country - providing various tax and customs reliefs, simplified import and export procedures, enhanced trade promotion, and additional support for innovation.

Increasing the attractiveness to both domestic and international businesses.

Again not possible from within the EU.

Link: UK freeports -
Link: FullFact on EU Freeports -

21

As recently covered in an article in Reuters, those at the lower end of salaried workers in the UK have seen improvements in both salaries and working conditions due to leaving the EU, and the resultant tightening of available resources with the removal of Freedom of Movement.

"a gradual improvement in employment terms since the global pandemic and Brexit forced companies to work harder to find staff"

Link: Reuters article (without paywall)

22

Companies like Mazda are now shipping directly to the UK instead of to a central hub in Belgium to be reshipped later from there - and in the process, provides more jobs to UK citizens, reduced lead times, more choice, higher reliability and better service to their customers.

"The new shipping route streamlines UK deliveries and removes the risk of delays caused by Europe to UK transit issues"

(read: delays caused by French workers strikes)

Win-win-win.

Link: Fleet news article -

23

Removing a regulation that the EU itself says is pointless, will save consumers upwards of 5-10% off an average bottle of sparkling wine.

Removing the pointless regulation will see upto 50p saved on manufacturing costs, per bottle

Link: Sun article - thesun.co.uk/money/21090555…

24

Outside of the EU CAP, which mainly benefitted very large landowners with subsidies, the UK system is being changed to encourage better stewardship of farmland as animal habitats, and will spread the subsidies better amongst smaller farms.

Link: BBC article -
Link: Government scheme info -

25

As recently covered by The Spectator, a partnership on cancer treatment R&D between the UK govt and BioNTech is only possible due to the post-Brexit regulatory environment that we have been able to foster and develop.

Which could be of benefit not just to the UK, but to all of humanity.

Link: Spectator article -

26

The Shark Fins Bill, which seeks to end the import and export of shark fins, received Royal Assent back in June and so is now UK law.

This move to protect sharks from this ghastly trade is only possible because we left the EU.

Link: Shark Fins Act 2023 -

27

With the return of sovereignty to the UK for multiple areas of government policy and UK Law, the ability to petition your representative - and to remove them when they are ineffective in areas you care about - has not been as possible as it is now since the 1970s.

A good example of this is the multiple petitions regarding the treatment of whales and sharks by Faroe Islands, and the wish to suspend the UK FTA with them as a lever to force change.

The very act of petitioning the UK to take such action, is a request for the UK to use powers that it only has because it left the EU.

28

Even before the DCTS was announced, the UK Global Tariff (UKGT) had already made improvements.

Nigerian President Buhari: "Already [the UKGT] has reduced, removed or simplified tax on thousands of imported goods, an important step in reconfiguring Commonwealth trade"

Link: Telegraph article -

29

A CJEU ruling in 2022 has resulted in member states having to shut down open registers of corporate ownership, reducing transparency and increasing the risk of corruption.

As the UK is outside of the EU and the CJEU, the UK continues with this transparent approach.

Link: FT article -
Link: Transparency International concerns -

30

To wrap up the list of 30 - Our independence from the EU has allowed the UK to take a leading independent role in supporting Ukraine.

Though EU member states have followed suit, they did so weeks later, which could've literally been the difference between victory and defeat.

"Britain is now again in its historic role protecting Europe from conquest, freed from having to get along within the EU,” Toms said. "Historically, the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill saved Europe from itself, and the U.K. has this role again”

Link: Politico article -

BONUS 31

The burgeoning "novel foods" or cultivated meats industry is set to grow massively in the coming years, to meet with the increased collision between consumer tastes and consumer concerns over eating animals and climate change.

The UK is at the forefront of this industry from a scientific research perspective, and that is only possible due to being outside of the EU.

"Leaving the EU means we now have the capability to take something to market in the UK without having to have the signoff from every European nation"

Link: Article in Cambridge Independent -