Lewes
- Party
- Liberal Democrat
- Region
- South East
The cost of Brexit · UK-wide
Brexit's estimated hit to UK economic output (GVA) in 2023
−£188.8bn
−7.7% of output
That's about £2,835 for every person in the UK, compared with an estimate of where the economy would have been without Brexit.
Source: Brexit Cost Project (Alabrese, Edenhofer, Fetzer and Wang, 2026), real terms at 2019 prices
What rejoining could mean · UK-wide
Long-term boost to the UK economy (GDP) from EU membership
+£92bn
at least
Plus at least £43bn a year more in UK exports.
What rejoining could mean here
Estimated boost to the South East's economy (GVA) each year from EU membership
+£1.31bn
a year
Brexit has cost the Lewes council area an estimated £53m a year since 2016.
How is this worked out?
Gross value added (GVA) is the value of the goods and services produced in an area.
Researchers at the Brexit Cost Project compared each council area's actual output with an estimate of what it would have been without Brexit. They built that estimate from a weighted mix of economies elsewhere, in Europe, the US and other advanced economies, whose output tracked the area's closely before the 2016 referendum.
The difference between the two is the estimated effect of Brexit. It's a modelled estimate, not a measured loss, and the researchers say it should be read as evidence of how places diverged after 2016 rather than as precise accounting.
The figure shown is the average gap for each year from 2016 to 2023, the latest year of official local output data. It's in real terms, at 2019 prices, and is the headline estimate on this council area's page at brexitcost.org. The council area may be larger or smaller than the constituency.
Source: Frontier Economics; council figure from the Brexit Cost Project
What voters think in Lewes
Which EU relationship people in Lewes most want the UK Government to propose
When they had to choose one
About this survey
YouGov surveyed 11,927 people. The survey was carried out between 27th May – 11th June 2026.
The survey was conducted using an online interview of members of the YouGov Plc GB panel of 400,000+ individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys.
Voices from Lewes
I have always FELT European. I want my children and my grand children to have access to all that Europe has to offer. Work, education, music, science, language , medicine, and the opportunities we can offer our neighbours. We are stronger together.
Delia Forester
9 November 2026
We need to be part of the EU for the sake of international relations, student exchanges, music tours. We also need to restore freedom of movement between the countries of Europe for people - business people, students, tourists, visitors - and goods, avoiding huge queues, lengthy paperwork and delays.
Patricia Cockrell
9 November 2026
I used to work with people from the EU in nursing homes . I was heartbroken that people who worked so hard and gave so much to our sick and elderly were made to feel unwelcome. It felt so mean spirited. It makes me feel stronger being part of Europe. Since Brexit I feel embarrassed to be English , I'd love to rejoin.
Lucy Calcott
8 November 2026
I haven’t left the UK since Brexit. I normally drive over to France and Spain several times a year with my partner & two dogs. This got incredibly expensive overnight and I refused to pay it. I have lost faith in the British state since Brexit - the social contract is so frayed at the moment. I used to try and ‘do my bit’ for the country. Not anymore. We are being fleeced left, right & centre as British citizens and I’ve shut down. I’ve even tried to get an Irish passport to turn over a new leaf. The EU isn’t perfect but I never saw any benefit in separating. I was right. I live in an area that used to have lots of people from EU countries and it was wonderful. Most of them are gone now and we just have the flags. I feel so sad that I don’t recognise the country that I am forced to live in anymore. I used to be proud of my cultural identity. I have never gotten over the referendum results and my life is now in two chapters; pre & post-referendum. Please, make me proud again.
D. F.
8 November 2026
Which sectors could benefit most from EU membership?
Lewes has:
people employed in manufacturing, mining and utilities
people employed in retail and wholesale
people employed in accommodation and food services
as its biggest employing industry
Why these jobs matter for our relationship with Europe
These three industries employ people in every constituency, and each depends on how easily goods, services and people move between the UK and Europe.
Manufacturing: Frontier Economics found that 81% of the £43 billion a year growth in exports from EU membership would come from manufacturing.
Retail: Rejoining the EU would remove the customs checks and paperwork that have added red tape and costs for shops and their suppliers since Brexit, making it cheaper and simpler to stock goods from Europe.
Food services: Pubs, restaurants and hotels have struggled to fill vacancies since free movement ended. EU membership would let them recruit seasonal workers from across Europe again and help bring down costs for hospitality businesses across the country.
Sources and methodology
- GVA gap caused by Brexit: Brexit Cost Project
- People employed by industry and biggest employing industry: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics
- People employed by industry in Scotland: Scotland's Census 2022, National Records of Scotland
- Support for full EU membership: YouGov for Best for Britain
- Regional GVA boost: Frontier Economics for Best for Britain
- Postcode lookup: postcodes.io, using ONS data
- MP details and photos: UK Parliament Members API
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Contains NRS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.