Salisbury
- Party
- Conservative
- Region
- South West
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 West's economy (GVA) each year from EU membership
+£639m
a year
Brexit has cost the Wiltshire council area an estimated £1.01bn a year since 2016.
31st biggest estimated loss of 342 council areasHow 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 Salisbury
Which EU relationship people in Salisbury 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 Salisbury
CompoTech is a Czech company making Carbon Fibre components for Industrial, Marine, Defence and Sporting sectors. I live and work from the UK and I own 25% of CompoTech. Since Brexit we have been cut off from our UK customers by the imposition of border controls and I have found it more difficult to travel and do my job around the EU. Democratic decisions cannot be taken on the basis of lies, Brexit was sold to the voters on lies and therefore was undemocratic. "Control" was relinquished by leaving the EU. Small boat crossing was caused by leaving the EU. UK politicians should face up to the Brexit mistake and stop the damage. At the very minimum the UK should join the single market and restore freedom of movement for goods and people. The best solution would be joining the EU and being part of the decisions that affect our lives. I am European. I Don't like being excluded from my continent. Europe is such a great place to live, love and work. We need to work together to make it the best example of life as it should be. United in our peaceful prosperity.
Rory Carter, Director, CompoTech Plus Spol. s r.o.
Manufacturing and engineering · 50–249 employees · Website (opens in a new tab)
I believe rejoining the European Union would make life better for people in the UK. It could help lower the cost of living, create more jobs, improve trade and give British businesses more opportunities. It would also make travelling, working and studying in Europe easier again. I would like to see my children's European citizenship restored. Most importantly, it would give ordinary people more freedom and opportunities, while helping the UK build a stronger economy and a closer relationship with its European neighbours. In my view, the benefits of rejoining the EU could outweigh the costs, as it would offer a better future for both individuals and the country.
A. W.
8 November 2026
Which sectors could benefit most from EU membership?
Salisbury 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.