New Forest West

Brexit has been a disaster for the British economy and for supply chains. It has caused shortages of everything from salads to spare parts to medicines. It has increased inflation. It has had and continues to have a particularly negative effect on young people’s freedom to access education and work in the EU. In a time where the world is becoming increasingly unstable and dangerous, and our erstwhile ally, the USA, has become completely unreliable, it makes good sense to be more closely aligned with our European neighbours. The behaviour of the USA and its president are in fact putting Europeans including ourselves at great risk, a risk the Americans do not share geographically. To combat that risk we need to work ever more closely with our closest neighbours to benefit all our countries and all our citizens and build a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.

I. R.

9 November 2026

My reasons for wanting the UK to rejoin the EU are many and varied. They encompass all the logical, evidence based financial advantages that come from free trade with our nearest neighbours, together with the personal advantages for me that comes with free movement - wanting to spend my retirement travelling around Europe in my campervan with my dog. But it goes much, much deeper than that. My father, a WW2 veteran, explained the concept of the EU (then Common Market) to me as a child. He said countries that are joined together with laws and trade etc are very much less likely to go to war with each other. This was because even if their values might differ sometimes from the majority, it was still better to be a part of it, particularly economically. Like the best teams and groups, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and peace should always be the top non negotiable that all parties agree on.

M. W.

9 November 2026

United we stand, divided we fall applies to countries too. We need close allies to be able to stand up for ourselves in trade, one small nation just doesn't have the barganing power on its own. We would also have stronger defenses against hostile agents whether nations, superpowers or malevolent small groups - hackers etc.

H. C.

9 November 2026

Where to begin is the difficulty,; we need to get rid of the “red tape” (customs checks ETC.) totally hindering manufacturing in the UK. It is so important for our younger generation to be part of the wider, bigger community (EU). Free movement for jobs and seasonable employment in the UK is needed. Personally I want easier access at the border to the Schengen and EU.

B. J.

8 November 2026